


Knock a Little Louder

by werecadet



Category: The Aquabats! Super Show!
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Coming Out, First Time, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Mostly Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-10
Updated: 2013-11-10
Packaged: 2018-01-01 02:40:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1039376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/werecadet/pseuds/werecadet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The high school AU fic that no one asked for. Jimmy comes out to his parents after The Commander asks him to the homecoming dance. Inspired by Pige's brilliant AU headcanons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. fired up

**Author's Note:**

> If you told me last year (or any year, really) that I would be here today posting a 45-page high school AU fic that I wrote with my two paws, I would have laughed in your face. But this is a time for firsts. 
> 
> This has been quite a ride, and is dedicated to Pige obviously, who ignited this AU fic-writing spark in me, whether she wanted to or not. So thank her if you enjoyed it, or blame me if you didn't. But I hope it's alright.

“Are you sure, Jimmy?” the Commander asked, concerned. The other teen sighed resignedly. “I gotta tell her. She deserves to know. She won’t tell Pops, I don’t think…” Jimmy worried his lip.

Him and the Commander sat on the porch steps leading up to his house. Jimmy’s mother was somewhere inside, most likely preparing dinner. He wracked his hands through his hair while the Commander gently rubbed his back in silent support.

The pair had been dating more or less officially for almost two months now, but up until today they have been keeping it relatively quiet. In public, they kept their physical affection on the right(ish) side of chummy to attempt to avoid the notorious suburban gossip mills. Anyone that knows the Commander, however, knows otherwise. I mean, who can resist Jimmy’s adorable blush that spreads all the way to his ears when he smooches him on the cheek before sprinting to class? And so what if his goodbye hugs lingered a little too long? He is quite squishy and addictively huggable. Anyways.

The rumors were already beginning to churn, but after today they must be running full speed ahead, thanks to the Commander’s disgustingly extravagant public proposal to ask Jimmy to the homecoming dance. It had involved the entire marching band, a few illegal fireworks, an off-key 80s love ballad and some ad-libbed Shakespeare. Despite turning purple in embarrassment, Jimmy had secretly been ecstatic, until he realized he had to break all of this news to his parents. 

This was probably going to break his mother’s heart, and lord knows what his father was going to do. Jimmy had decided he had to at least come out to his mother right away. One, she might be able to soften the blow when he broke the news to Pops, but the most important reason was that Mother ran an organic farmer’s market that all of the townspeople frequented. No doubt once the word was out, they would flock to the stand like vultures, eager to get the scoop straight from the horse’s mother’s mouth. Err.

 

Jimmy sighed with finality, standing up and stretching. Pausing, he glanced at the Commander, who suddenly looked nervous, and maybe even a bit guilty for spurring this. Jimmy swallowed and reached for his hand. “Would you come with me? I’m totally gonna chicken out if someone else isn’t there.” The Commander hopped to his feet, an important task was now at hand! “You got it, dude! I got your back, no problem!” He knew he was in deep trouble; there was just no saying no to those blue eyes.

Jimmy leaned down slightly to bump their foreheads together. “I’m so nervous…what if she freaks? What if she tells my dad and throws me out of the house? What if she hates me forever?” “Hey, hey, hey!” the Commander chided gently, brushing the hair out of Jimmy’s eyes and resting his palm on his cheek.

“Everything’ll be fine, babe. I’m right here. Everything is gonna be alright, and if it isn’t…we’ll figure it out. I love you, dude.” Waiting for the panic in his eyes to subside, he reached up and kissed the tip of his nose, pleased when Jimmy’s ears turned slightly pink and thrilled to see him smile, even just a little. “Now, let’s go do this!”

 

* * *

 

 

Jimmy nodded and without another word, he turned and entered the farmhouse. He headed towards the kitchen with the Commander following quietly at his heels. “Good afternoon boys! It’s so good to see you!” Mrs. Goodman greeted them with her usual warm, enthusiastic grin. Hugging her son tight, she asked, “How was school, James?” Anxiety getting the best of him, he practically yelled his reply. “GREAT, mother!”

“Hey, Mrs. G, how’s it going? I hope you don’t mind me stopping by!” the Commander piped in. Martha—the ever-gracious host—replied with a broad smile. “Oh, it’s always a pleasure to see you around here, hon. Here! Sit down and stay a while! I just made some lemonade!” Jimmy and the Commander shared a quick glance before sitting down next to one another on one side of the kitchen table. Gulping, Jimmy ventured nervously, “Actually, mother…there was something kinda important I’d like to talk to you about if you have a second…”

Ever intuitive to her son’s tone, Martha quickly put the dish she finished preparing in the oven and sat down across from the two boys. “Of course, honey! What’s on your mind?” Meanwhile, the Commander poured lemonade into three glasses, knowing that Jimmy’s hands were shaking in his lap. Taking one of the offered glasses and downing half of it in one gulp, Jimmy cleared his throat. His leg trembled wildly, pressed against the Commander’s, and he felt him place his hand on his knee to steady his nerves. Across the table, patient Martha smiled, waiting for Jimmy to begin.

“This is really hard to admit, momma…I don’t want to upset you or disappoint you or Pops but I’m just not able to keep it a secret anymore…” He paused and his mother gently reached across the table and put her hand over his. Jimmy gathered his courage and began again. “I’ve been seeing someone the past month or so and they’re really special and important to me…they even asked me to the homecoming dance today and I said that I would go with them…” Losing his nerve, Jimmy blurted out his last statement in a rush, “I’minlovewiththecommandermomma.” Martha blinked at her son, who was resolutely staring at the table. Not catching what he said, she asked “I’m sorry, honey?” Jimmy reached down and grabbed the hand that was now digging into his knee. “…I’m gay.”

 

* * *

 

 

The end of Jimmy’s quiet yet determined speech was met with complete silence. Jimmy risked a glance up from the tablecloth at which he was speaking.

Martha said nothing, but her eyes filled quickly with tears and suddenly let out a sob, throwing her face into her hands. Jimmy leapt from his seat and folded down in front of her. Putting his hands in her lap, he looked up at her, devastated. “I’m so sorry, momma…I didn’t want to disappoint you like this, but I had to tell you…” 

She sniffled resolutely and took her son’s hands in hers and quietly asked, “Are you happy, James?” He couldn’t help but smile earnestly, glancing sideways at the Commander fidgeting wildly in his chair. “Yes, mother.” She then returned his smile and answered through her tears, “Then I’m happy, darling. I’m not disappointed…all I could want from my son is for him to be happy.” She brushed his curly hair away from his face with care and spoke clearly. “I just worry for you, James. That is why I’m upset, I’m sorry if I scared you… The world can be horridly cruel; you hear all of these terrible stories that you don’t think can happen to you or your family… I know I can’t protect you from it all forever. But I can’t imagine what I’d do if anyone ever hurt you.”

Giving her a tight hug and a kiss, Jimmy replied, “I know momma…but I’m ready to take that risk. I’ve got you and the Commander and all of my friends, I can worry about everything else later.” She sighed and looked at him with a sad smile. “You know you have my full support, James. I love you so, so much and whoever you choose to love is alright with me.” Pulling out a handkerchief and blowing her nose, she then stood to refill the lemonade, as the nervous Commander had nearly downed the entire jug in his sideline panic. Martha smiled warmly before focusing her patented Concerned Mother steely gaze in his direction.

 

“I know how special my boy is, so you don’t need to tell me. What do _you_ bring to the table for _him_?” The Commander had paled the second she looked over at him, and now he looked as if he could will the earth below to swallow him up, he would. Oh god, he was usually so on-point, where was his smooth, confident crooked grin and smart retort? He wiped his sweaty palms on his shorts. Did it get like, 50 degrees warmer in here all of a sudden? “Well, I—”

“Mother! This isn’t a job interview!” Jimmy exclaimed defensively, returning to the Commander’s side. “I know, honey, I’m just busting his chops. It’s not often that I have a captive audience I can torture with the icy mother glare!” Laughing, she continued. “I’ve never seen him look so nervous! But! He hasn’t run out the back door yet, so I suppose that he gets extra credit for that…” She turned a little more serious. “I know you care about my boy a lot, and I trust his decisions, but I just need to know for my own sake how serious you are about this. You two have been very close for a long time. I just can’t have my baby being hurt just because you’ve lost interest or moved on...”

Downing the rest of the lemonade, the Commander began quietly. “I know that I’m always joking around and doing stupid shit—err, stuff, sorry,” he corrected himself. “But, I’m more serious about this than anything, Mrs. G. You don’t know how long I pretend-flirted with your son before figuring out how serious even _I_ was. I realized I was falling hard, but I had to be sure, and to be honest, he was a little dense to pick up on it first,” he said with a smirk.

Not wanting to offend either Goodman, he took another direction. “I don’t have a lot of close people in my life anymore, and I didn’t wanna screw it all up. I haven’t had a real family ever since Aquabania, and until I met Jimmy and the rest of the guys, I didn’t even think I needed one,” he said earnestly, scratching at the back of his head. He continued with confidence in his voice. “But I obviously do, they give me something to keep coming back to; Jimmy keeps me level and anchored. I don’t even know why he sticks around—I’m loud and obnoxious and I actually physically cannot stop pestering him—but I would do literal backflips for him if he asked, just to see that goofy little smile that says, ‘Gosh, you’re so stupid, Commander’.” Jimmy blushed bright red, suddenly really interested in the tablecloth pattern again.

 

The Commander didn’t even realize that he had grabbed Jimmy’s hand halfway though his little speech. Martha cut him off politely before he could continue. “Alright, I suppose you’ve convinced me of your intentions, good sir,” mock-seriously. “Now, I’m going to ask you to stay for dinner if that would be alright with your father?” Smiling brightly, the Commander replied, “I’m sure Monty won’t mind! He’s probably too busy in his lab to remember that he has to feed me anyways, haha…” Martha shot him a concerned look. “…err, just kidding, Mrs. G! I’ll text him right now,” he amended, fishing his phone from his pocket. 

Wavering a little in his seat from all of today’s events, Jimmy looked questioningly at his mother. “How do you think Pop is going to react to all this, momma? What do you think he’s gonna do?”

 

“What do you think who is gonna do?” asked a voice from the doorway—it was Mr. Goodman.

 

 

 


	2. i've got soul

The Commander dropped his phone on the floor with a loud WHUMP. Everyone in the kitchen looked nervously at one another. Martha answered hurriedly. “Nothing, dear! Dinner will be ready in about 30 minutes, so why don’t you take a quick rest while the boys help me finish up? We have company this evening,” she said, indicating towards the Commander, who was trying to look casual and failing miserably. “Hey, Mr. Goodman! Skeletons giving you grief this evening?” he ventured, nose crinkling slightly at the burnt smell in the air. Jimmy’s father gave a non-committal grunt and shuffled upstairs.

Once he was out of earshot, they all relaxed slightly. Martha clasped her hands together. “Alright, let’s get to it boys! I wasn’t lying about you two helping out. Hop to it!” The boys jumped up at attention, Jimmy rushed to wipe down the table while the Commander grabbed plates out of the cabinet. Martha busied herself with preparing side dishes to go with the dinner in the oven. Once she was done, she turned to face the two teens wrapping up with the place settings.

 

“Now, I’m giving him a while to relax before dinner. He’s less likely to be upset if he naps, you know that. Once he has some food in him, he should be less fussy so you can break it to him. I think that’s the best option we’ve got.” Jimmy started to pale again, the day’s tiring range of emotions starting to take its toll, his mother’s battle plan making him nervous all over again. Martha quickly wrapped him up in a tight hug. “Don’t worry so much, James. We’re your parents and I will always love you no matter what. Everything is going to be fine.” The Commander reached up from where he was seated and rubbed his arm encouragingly. 

Martha kissed the top of his head and let him go. “Darling, go out and get some fresh air before dinner, you’re looking green. I wanted to talk to your young man for a minute in private anyways,” she said, shooing him out the back door. Laughing at the color further draining from his face, she reassured him, “Don’t worry, I’m going to return him in one piece.” Jimmy retreated from the kitchen, totally not looking like a kicked puppy.

 

Turning back to the Commander, she shot him a worried look. “…I honestly don’t know how dinner is going to go, darling. I’ve known my husband nearly all of my life, but this is a tough situation. I can’t say that I know how he’s going to react. Don’t get me wrong, he loves James dearly, but this sort just doesn’t happen around here. The farming community is very…traditional, so to say. I know he wants what’s best for James, despite all of the head butting they’ve been doing lately.”

She paused and reached out to touch the Commander’s hand. “Things might get heated at dinner. Just…watch out for Jimmy, and if you need to, take him outside for a while so I can speak with my husband. I know you’ll do the right thing—you have a level head. Just let him get some fresh air and make sure he doesn’t do anything drastic, can you do that for me?” Finding his throat dry, he nodded first before answering. “You got it, Mrs. G, crystal clear.” Martha sighed. “My boy is special, he’s so sensitive, you know this. My husband will come around eventually, but I have to know that you’ll watch out for James in the meantime.”

“Of course, Mrs. G! I’ve always got his back.” Satisfied, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Please, you can call me Martha, honey. Now, go make sure my boy is calming down, I’ll call you when dinner is set.” Blushing at the kiss, the Commander all but ran out the back door.

 

* * *

 

The sun was setting by now, so he cupped his hand over his brow and scanned the yard for Jimmy. He was on the far side of the property, swinging mindlessly on the old tire swing, eyes cast to his feet. Crossing the yard swiftly, the Commander reached out to steady the rope and pulled the other boy close. He leaned down to kiss him soundly on the cheek. “Hey…” he said, trying to gauge his mood. Jimmy looked up at him. “I’m sorry that I dragged you into all of this mess…” he said, grabbing the Commander’s free hand and squeezing it. The Commander huffed indignantly. “You’re stuck with me, Jimbo, sorry to say. I go where you go; that’s just how it works, bro.” Jimmy smiled and kicked off the ground to swing slightly.

They continued to swing in companionable silence until Martha came out on the back porch to call them in to dinner. “Well, let’s carpe diem,” said the Commander, helping Jimmy out of the tire. “It’s nighttime, Commander…” he retorted. They started to slowly walk back to the house. Jimmy bumped the other’s shoulder. “Thanks for all this anyways…I don’t regret any of it.” The Commander clasped his hand on his shoulder, smiling. “You might change your mind after we talk to your old man! But anytime, Jimbo, I mean it.”

They entered the house and quickly washed up at the sink before sitting down at the table. Mr. Goodman was already sat, while Mrs. Goodman spooned servings on to everyone’s plates. The Commander’s stomach growled while his mouth watered. “Smells great, Mrs. G! I can’t wait, this all looks amazing.” Martha laughed, “Thank you, dear, you’re welcome over for dinner any time, you know that.”

 

* * *

 

Dinner continued relatively quietly, Martha asking her husband and Jimmy occasional questions about their days, the Commander chewing thoughtfully along with the conversation. As it progressed, Jimmy receded further into himself, getting quieter and quieter. Martha figured she needed to give him a nudge in the right direction, hopefully one that left her husband little room to argue. _He’ll feel much better once it’s off his chest_ , she thought. “Darling, our boy has some great news to share! He told me before dinner, and we are all so proud and happy for him! Someone very special finally asked him to the homecoming dance!” Jimmy’s father considered him and put down his fork.

“Oh yeah? You have been acting much more chipper lately…you know, your mother had to ask me to our first school dance as well, that many years ago! I was too shy to ask her myself, but she wasn’t!” He elbowed amicably at his wife. “So, who’s the brave lucky lady?” The Commander choked slightly on a too-large bite of food, whereas Jimmy’s stomach dropped completely. He quickly steeled himself to get it over with.

Quietly, yet determinedly, he answered, “I’m going with the Commander, father.” The older man scoffed. “Oh, so you guys are going stag?” Jimmy screwed up his face. “No, pops. He asked me to go with him as his date.” A fleeting dark look passed over his father. “Is this some kind of joke?”

Jimmy sighed. “You’re not making this easy for me, let me be clear. I’ve been dating a boy. Almost two months now. The Commander asked me to go and I said yes.” The two stared at one another tensely from across the table for a long, awkward pause. His father opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, seemingly starting to speak and then changing his mind over and over again. He then abruptly pushed away from the table and left the room.

 

* * *

 

 

The remaining people at the table looked at each other in stunned silence. They heard him cross the floor and then begin to stomp his way upstairs, but he stopped halfway. A long pause, then the sound of him coming back down the stairs as he stormed back into the kitchen doorway, shaking his finger. “You know what? You can leave, I’m staying. This is my house. I pay the bills, I feed you, I do all of this for you and this is how you repay me?”

 

The room exploded.

 

Both Martha and the Commander stood up so quickly, it flung their chairs over onto the floor with a crash. Both of them moved closer to Jimmy, protectively. “Ralph!” cried Martha, outraged. “How dare you!” she shouted, holding her son tight around the shoulder.

Ralph seethed. “How dare I?! How dare him! How dare he bring this…sickness into _my_ home? Our home? How dare he bring this shame upon our family? He’s obviously broken!”

Jimmy sat in his seat in total silence, staring straight ahead at the wall. Hot anger tears rolled down his cheeks, but he didn’t say anything. He couldn’t say anything. Martha hurried from his side to confront her husband in the doorway, grabbing him by the elbow tight and pulling him into the other room.

Once his parents were gone, Jimmy’s barriers dropped. The Commander was already crouched protectively at his side, one hand gently rested on his knee and the other rubbing his back. _This could have gone better_ , he thought grimly. Jimmy hiccupped, trying to hold back a sob, but the Commander whispered soothingly. “It’s okay, dude. You can let it out, I’m here,” continuing to rub circles on his back. The floodgates opened and he collapsed onto the table, sobbing hysterically into his folded arms. 

There was muffled yelling coming from the other room, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying, his focus currently sharpened on Jimmy’s wellbeing. He pressed his head against Jimmy’s thigh and seated himself more comfortably on the floor, still rubbing his back and whispering soothing non-words.

 

* * *

 

After a long while, Martha re-entered the room, eyes red but otherwise collected. A good sign, hopefully? Jimmy had calmed down significantly finally, sitting back up and tracing patterns on the table with his finger idly and glumly. The Commander was still seated cross-legged on the floor beside him.

She walked over to her son and ran her hands through his hair comfortingly. “He asked if he could speak with you, alone.” Jimmy stopped and looked up at her, while the Commander’s grip on his knee tightened. She reassured him, “He’s calmed down quite a bit…he’s your father and he still loves you. But, I won’t let him lay a finger on you.” The Commander still had his doubts and shot Jimmy a questioning look. Jimmy nodded. “I’ll be fine,” he said shakily. Commander stood back up and clapped his shoulder, not wanting to be too overprotective, but still cautious. 

“Alright…I’ll wait outside, but I’m only giving him ten minutes to explain himself. If he keeps him one second past, I’m coming back in.” The Commander gave him a quick comforting peck on the forehead before gathering himself up and heading outside.


	3. you can't stop us

Pacing back and forth on the Goodman’s porch was the most nerve-wracking nine minutes and forty-seven seconds of his young life. He started off sitting on the steps, texting Monty to let him know what was going on, and keeping some concerned Aquabats informed to the situation as well.

 

After four minutes passed, he was back to standing up, fidgeting.

 

Seven minutes elapsed. He began pacing, stalking back and forth across the wooden planks, sneakers smacking rhythmically against them.

 

Nine minutes in he had the local PD queued up on his phone to hit send, and thirty seconds later, he was prepared to barge back inside. But when he got to the screen door, it slammed open from the inside. Jimmy stormed out and launched himself down the steps. He stopped on the last one and stared out upon the now-pitch black sky.

 

The Commander rushed to his side and enveloped him in a hug before pulling back slightly, giving him a questioning look. Jimmy just looked down at the ground sadly, grimacing. The Commander sat him down on the bottom step and wrapped himself around him, quietly stroking his hair. He was going to have to be extremely patient. He didn’t mind, for Jimmy’s sake, but he wanted little more than to just storm back inside and start screaming. How dare _anyone_ hurt Jimmy on purpose, especially his own father? The boy may be taller than him and admittedly, even stronger, but beneath all of that, he was incredibly sensitive. And intelligent and intuitive and passionate and screw _anybody_ who tried to mar that or twist it into anything but. The more he thought on it, the more upset he became. And that wasn’t going to help Jimmy right now, so he resigned himself to burying his face in the crook of his neck. He sighed out his negative emotions before leaning in to place a kiss there.

Jimmy finally stirred and let out a deep sigh. Mumbling at the ground, he said, “He wants me out of the house. For a few days apparently, while he ‘figures things out.’ Mother thinks it’s a good idea for now. I have an hour to pack some things and head out.” Jimmy turned in the Commander’s tightened embrace, looking up at him with red-rimmed eyes. “What am I supposed to do? I don’t have anywhere to go!”

The Commander pulled him close to his chest and kissed his curls. “Shhh, shh babe…you can come back to my place for now, you know Monty won’t mind. But, the first stop is ice cream. Gonna stock up on ice cream and I’m gonna hold your hand when we walk home and we’re gonna hang out and watch Star Wars until you fall asleep and I’m gonna kiss you g’night and that’s exactly what’s going down. Tomorrow will be better, I promise.”

He felt Jimmy’s slight smile against his neck at that plan. A muffled mumbling rumbled through his chest. “I’m so happy when I’m with you…why doesn’t he see it like this? We’re not doing anything wrong and I’m _not_ broken!”

“No. You. Are. Not.” The Commander insisted firmly and clearly, punctuating each word with a kiss to his temple, as if they could drive his point into his head. “Now, whaddaya say to jumping ship? Your mama can hold down the fort in the meantime…she’ll talk some sense into him, babe, you’ll see. If anyone can manage it, it’s her. Let’s go grab your toothbrush and some textbooks, you nerd, and skedaddle. Ice cream’s gonna be on me.”

 

* * *

 

 

When they reentered the house, Ralph had disappeared. _Probably to burn up some skeletons wishing they were me-shaped_ , the Commander thought to himself. They hurried up to Jimmy’s room. To the Commander’s surprise, Jimmy was quite effective at packing efficiently, almost like he’d done it before. Before he could bring it up out loud, Jimmy hefted a duffel full of textbooks into the Commander’s arms. Gosh, he was dating a nerd. An adorable nerd, but _still_. Once they were done, the Commander slung the pack over his shoulder, slumping over dramatically, exaggerating the weight. He wrapped his free arm around Jimmy’s shoulders and steered him downstairs, not wanting him to linger.

Martha met them at the bottom of the stairs, smiling sadly up at them. She hugged both of them tight and gave them each a kiss on the cheek. She considered the Commander—proud of how he was handling everything with her boy. He needed and deserved that right now. “Remember what I said, honey. You’ve got a big responsibility on your hands.” Commander gave her his best toothy grin. “He’s safe with me, Mrs. G, like always! Plus, you have mine and Monty’s phone numbers, don’t be afraid to call one of us.” She nodded, not wanting to drag this out. Turning to Jimmy, she stroked his cheek. Seeing the pained expression on his face, she couldn’t speak. She kissed him again on the cheek and hurried from the room, not letting them see her upset. 

Commander nudged Jimmy towards the door, eager to get him out of the house and away from this toxic environment. He trudged sullenly out the door and down the front steps. He hiccupped a few times while crossing the front lawn. As they headed down the long dirt driveway leading towards town, tears flowed freely from his cheeks, but he didn’t stop. The Commander held his hand tight and Jimmy returned the grip. The streets quickly changed to paved and became a little more well-lit, the roads becoming peppered with streetlamps. Cars passed more frequently, and as they turned into the main part of town, there were plenty of people out this late on a Friday night. Not once did the Commander let go of Jimmy’s hand, smiling happily whenever Jimmy squeezed back.

 

* * *

 

 

He ordered them ice cream at the busy shake shack and they sat down at one of the outdoor wooden tables.

A familiar rickety pickup was parked in the lot and three familiar faces peeked around the corner. Crash ran over to give Jimmy a huge bear hug, lifting him off of the ground.  “JIMMY! COMMANDER!” Both Ricky and Bones gave a more subdued consolation, patting him on the back and shoulder. “Hey guys!” greeted the Commander. Jimmy grinned happily, but otherwise didn’t say much. “We got your messages and we figured you’d show up here eventually!”

Crash and Ricky wandered off to order their own ice cream, while Bones stayed behind, curious to get some more information. “Bummer of a day, eh buddy? Parents suck, man,” he said matter-of-factly, crossing his arms. Jimmy nodded into his ice cream, idly twirling the spoon around. The Commander slung an arm around him and took the lead. “Yeah, well. It’s been a weird day all around.” Bones continued to pry, genuinely curious. “Yeah, and the school is blowing up about what happened today. You should see Twitter right now!” The Commander tightened his grip. “M-m-maybe we’ll worry about that stuff tomorrow…I think we’re gonna keep the rest of the night pretty quiet, yeah?” Bones moved his hands to his hips. “Yeah, sure, sorry…”

 

Thankfully, Crash and Ricky returned with a giant sundae for the three of them to share. The Commander quietly pondered what Bones had said, remembering to check it out later. But for now, he just wanted to get Jimmy settled in at home and calmed down. He was tired as well; today was absolutely draining. Maybe once they got some rest, he’ll have the rest of them over to hang out and stuff tomorrow. Jimmy could use good friends too at a time like this; it’d be nice to have a normal day just chilling.

They finished their ice cream in record time, laughing and giggling. Jimmy seemed to enjoy the display too, chuckling into the Commander’s shoulder when they dumped the near-empty bowl on top of Bones’ head, ice cream dripping all over his long curly hair. Laughing loudly, Crash turned to them once they were done. “D’you guys wanna lift back to Monty’s place? S’no trouble!” Commander agreed, thankful he didn’t have to carry those books the rest of the way.

He hefted the bags into the flatbed of the truck and yelled, “SHOTGUN!” calling the cab for himself, and Jimmy by proxy. Ricky and Bones moaned their protests, Bones complaining that the wind would mess up his hair. Crash quelled the argument by rustling Bones’ hair preemptively with his hand before getting into the driver’s seat. Jimmy and the Commander hopped into the front seat. Crash insisted they buckle their seatbelts—it was bad enough that the other two were rattling loose in the flatbed.

He drove carefully the remaining blocks to the Commander’s house, pulling into his driveway. He hugged the two tight, making them promise they would hang out tomorrow with big sad eyes. Ricky and Bones climbed off of the truck to get back into the cab. They lifted Jimmy’s bags, Bones nearly breaking his back trying to lift Jimmy’s textbooks. The two thanked Crash for the ride and they were off again, probably to Bone’s house to play video games or band practice or whatever.

 

On the front step, the Commander fumbled with the keys to his house, suddenly nervous. Yeah, sure they had sleepovers all of the time, but this felt totally different. More important. He nearly dropped them when Jimmy suddenly grabbed him and kissed him firmly on the cheek. He smiled at the Commander’s confusion and simply thanked him for everything tonight. Finally, he got the door opened and ushered Jimmy inside, a deep blush on his cheeks.

 

Dropping the books in the entryway, the Commander steered Jimmy down the hall towards his room, with a quick pit stop at the hall closet to grab some extra pillows and blankets. The house was quiet, the Professor probably working down in his basement lab. Forgetting the sloppy state he left his room in this morning’s mad dash to get to school on time (hey, he was up late worrying about whether Jimmy would say yes or not. Gosh, that seemed like days ago now), the Commander hurriedly raced around the room, grabbing laundry off the floor and righting some upturned furniture. Jimmy chuckled, “Don’t worry, I think I’ve seen your room far worse off than this…remember that time Monty wouldn’t let you go out unless you cleaned it up and we all came over to help?” Commander laughed at the fond memory. “Haha, yeah…it wound up taking the entire weekend to clean anyways, so we never actually went out…”

Jimmy was browsing about the room, stopping to look up at the corkboard above the desk. A poster from an old 80s postwave band, concert ticket stubs, photos of him and their friends…there were even a few Polaroids from that weekend cleaning binge. Monty must have taken them early the next morning, sneaky weird guy. One had Crash, Ricky and Bones fast asleep in a pile on the Commander’s bed, all wrapped around each other and snoring…the other was tucked carefully in the corner.

 

It was of the two of them, also exhausted from their work and passed out. Jimmy has collapsed onto the Commander, drooling all over his chest, one arm slung over him. His hand was splayed across his heart. The Commander was visibly snoring, with both arms tucked around Jimmy’s shoulders. He remembered the night vividly; it was right before the Commander had asked him out for real. It was a happy memory—he recalled the warm feeling he had woken up to when he realized where he was.

 

Looking closer, he realized that tucked behind the photo was a crumpled piece of paper. The Commander tried to snatch it away before Jimmy could figure out what it was, but the taller teen was quicker. Fighting off his protests, he realized it was the dumb note that he wrote up to halfway maybe sorta kinda ask Jimmy out. He had written up a note like a middle school girl would have, to pass to him, with “Do You Like Me?? (Check One)” written hastily on it, two boxes drawn below labeled “yes” and “no”. Jimmy vividly recalled marking the “no”, remember how the Commander’s face fell before he crossed it out to write “of course, you dummy” in neat handwriting below, crumpling it back up and tossing it at his head.

The Commander groaned in embarrassment—he had only just pinned those to the board a few days ago—he was keeping them in his wallet until then, but the were starting to get worn so he placed them there for safekeeping. Jimmy was incredibly touched; The Commander obviously cared, but this tiny, yet deeply personal display resonated and solidified Jimmy’s resolve. He carefully replaced the note to the board and wrapped his arms around the Commander’s neck. “You’re such a secret sap, you know that?” 

He flushed deep red and wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Aww, Jimbo…ya don’t gotta rub it in…” Jimmy snorted in amusement. “I love you, you dummy. Don’t be silly.” He decided to test just how red the Commander’s face could flush by proceeding to cover his face with little kisses. “Sheesh, who’s the mushy one now?” he grumped, but secretly loving the attention.

“C’mon, time to make a giant pillow fort an’ watch a movie. Go get ready n’ cozy while I make the fort!” Jimmy smiled and grabbed his overnight bag, trekking down the hall to the bathroom in order to change and brush his teeth. Examining his face in the mirror, he noticed the toll the day’s events took on him, noting the dark circles under his red-rimmed and still-puffy eyes. Yikes. He scrubbed his face thoroughly, letting some of his sour mood wash down the drain.

 

* * *

 

 

After changing into an old t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants, he walked past the Commander’s door and into the kitchen. He figured making some popcorn would help. As it popped in the microwave, he whistled a mindless tune, not noticing the other person enter the room. Looking up into the window and seeing the reflection of the Professor there, Jimmy jumped nearly three feet into the air. Clutching at his racing heart, he panted out, “Oh gosh, hello Professor! You scared me good!”

Monty chuckled in amusement. “For the last time, James, please call me Monty. No need for formalities here, especially not you. I’m sorry I startled you, but the scent of popcorn reminded me that I hadn’t eaten supper yet.” An awkward silence permeated the kitchen as Jimmy awaited the microwave ping, while Monty foraged for something to eat in the cabinet.

Deciding a bowl of cereal would be the easiest route; he took a seat at the table and dug in. Between mouthfuls, he spoke to Jimmy quietly. “I had heard what happened earlier…I’m sorry that it came to that, James.” It was met with a resigned shrug. Jimmy was already tired of getting worked up over it, so he just…didn’t.

“Just know that you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like, whenever you’d like. My son is very fond of you, and we both really want to see you happy. From what I hear, you’re smart and very dedicated; I can tell you’re going somewhere regardless. But, if there’s anything else we can do to help, please let us know…” The Professor rarely dealt with people outside of his way of thinking, it was really hard to wrap his head around a parent who would do this to their child, much less for a circumstance way outside of their control. Sure, Monty wasn’t the best adoptive parent, but he worked with what he was given when his brother and sister-in-law passed away. He couldn’t imagine what the boy was going through.

Jimmy spoke earnestly, “Thank you so much, Professor, it really means a lot…it’s nice to know there are people out there like you. The Commander is really lucky.” With a serious look, Monty replied, “I wouldn’t say lucky…the boy has been through a lot, even before he lost his birth parents to Hurricane M…” He chewed on his cereal thoughtfully. “I just try to do right by him, he deserves it. I know he needs to get out there and do his thing, whatever that thing may be. It’s comforting to know, though, that he has someone to bring him back to Earth every once in a while, without stifling him. Keeping one foot in reality is important, not like I’d know anything about that,” he finished with a forced laugh.

Jimmy gave a small smile and nodded, unsure of how to respond. Thankfully, he didn’t have to, saved by the microwave’s beep. He carefully poured the bag’s contents into a bowl and on his way out, quietly thanked the Professor again for allowing him to stay. “I wish the circumstances were different, James, but regardless, the both of us are thankful for the company! Especially if you keep us quiet with those spectacular breakfasts every once in a while…” he replied with a wink. Jimmy stood at attention. “You got it, sir! I mean, it’s just pancake mix from a box, but I’m happy to help! Momma always told me to earn my keep wherever I’m at.”

“Sleep in tomorrow, I’ll pick up some groceries in the morning and we’ll do brunch instead, okay?” Being a (mad) scientist, he knew that keeping the boy busy was the best way to keep his mind quiet. And if they got delicious food that didn’t come from a radioactive box out of the deal? All the better. He bid the boy good night and Jimmy shuffled down the hall.

 

* * *

 

 

Back in the bedroom, Jimmy was met with a ransacked pile of pillows and blankets on the floor in front of the television and a wriggling mass somewhere beneath, in the middle of it all. Sighing in fake annoyance, he announced his return by flopping on the pile next to the assumed Commander-shape. A muffled cry emerged from beneath and after a short struggle, the Commander’s head popped out. “You’re back finally!” he exclaimed with a toothy grin. “Took ya long enough, but I see you got popcorn, so I’ll forgive you.”

Considering the mess around him, Jimmy inquired, “Got defeated by inanimate fabric again, Commander?” He attempted to argue. “No, no…I’m just…making sure it’s all suitably comfy before—” Jimmy cut him off with a mock stern look and the Commander looked down with a sheepish grin. “Okay, okay…so building isn’t my strong suit…” He gently clapped the back of the Commander’s head. “You dummy. Go set up _Star Wars_ and I’ll take care of this mess.” With a facetious grin, he added, “Leave the manly building stuff to me.” Commander shuffled off, grumbling. 

After a brief, yet fierce argument over the superior _Star Wars_ film—Commander was all about the action and happy ending of _Return of the Jedi_ while Jimmy the character development and ennui of _Empire Strikes Back_. (“But, _Empire_ is so boring! Nothing happens!” “Ewoks.”) Agreeing to disagree, they settled on the first one as a compromise. 

Jimmy completed a magnificent pillow and blanket castle in record time and they crawled inside. Kissing Jimmy’s cheek and pulling him close, the Commander exclaimed, “My hero!” in a falsetto tone. He sat cross-legged on the cozy blanketed floor with his back against the footboard of his bed, while Jimmy gently placed his head in his lap. The film proceeded quietly like this for the first hour, with the Commander shoving fistfuls of popcorn into his mouth with one hand and carding his hand through Jimmy’s curly hair with the other.

 

By the time the Millennium Falcon had reached the Death Star, Jimmy was fast asleep, the day’s emotional roller coaster finally hitting the wall undoubtedly. Making sure he was out, the Commander gently lifted his head off of his lap and onto a soft pillow. He adjusted the movie’s volume to a whisper and laid down next to his boyfriend, pulling a blanket over them both. He grabbed Jimmy’s hand and pulled it to his chest. Whispering “good night”, he kissed the other boy softly. Jimmy smiled in his sleep, perhaps subconsciously happy that the Commander had remembered and kept his earlier promise.

He reflected on Jimmy’s face as he slept peacefully, letting his mind wander. He was so lucky to have Jimmy in his life; he considered him the sweetest person he’s ever met and not to mention one of the smartest. His passion and drive for knowledge inspired him every day to do what was best and right; this boy was his anchor. It scared him a little as to how attached he was, but he was pretty hopelessly devoted from the start. He was happy to keep him close, but he definitely had to be conscious enough to avoid getting in the way of his potential.

Call him selfish, but he was so glad to have him here, even for this short respite. A pang of guilt struck him as he thought about what Jimmy was going through again, and that it was his practically his fault he was in this position. He shook his head to clear it, and a well-timed yawn signified his need for sleep as well. He shifted and tugged Jimmy tight to his chest and settled in for the night, hoping tomorrow would be brighter for them both.


	4. save me from myself

Saturday and Sunday proceeded almost like a normal weekend—the rest of the Aquabats came over Saturday and stayed the night, they drowned themselves in junk food and video games and really loud music, as teenage boys would. Jimmy was extremely grateful for all of them; he felt as if they kept going like this, he’d never have to worry about the matters at hand. And the guys were more than happy to keep him busy—if they stalled a meltdown long enough, perhaps they could avoid it all together. Plus, he made sure send a message to his mom each night letting her know he was doing all right.

 

The school week started a little rough—Jimmy was concerned about other classmates hearing what had happened and making fun of him for it, but one look from any of his friends seemed to be enough to silence any sneers or mocking questions.

Decorations and posters were starting to worm their way into the school hallways, indicating that the homecoming dance was looming at the end of the week. It was lunch period and The Aquabats were seated on the steps to the auditorium, outside the band room. They were discussing what their plans were for the dance—Bones would borrow his parents’ van to get them there, since Crash’s truck couldn’t fir everyone safely. He was really adamant about those seat belts.

Bones and Crash had initially declared they were going stag, but Ricky had asked out Quera, a shy and quiet girl with pigtails, but her parents wouldn’t let her go until her two boisterous identical sisters also had dates. So Ricky had volunteered his band mates without any further consideration. They had grumbled at first, but once they were introduced, they were fairly entranced with the arrangement.

 

Later on, when they were alone in the hall, Jimmy pulled the Commander aside and whispered worriedly, “I don’t have anything to wear this weekend—all of my nice clothes are back at home…” Commander slung his arm around his shoulders. “No worries, Jimborella, we’ll get you something to wear to the ball!” Jimmy scowled; he didn’t want to be referred to as a Disney princess. The Commander made a brave attempt to kiss the sour look off of his boyfriend’s face. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head, buddy, your handsome prince already has a plan!” Surprisingly enough, Jimmy was still a tad incredulous.

 

But the Commander did have a plan. He already has his people (acquaintances, impressionable young underclassmen, etc.) sending messages back and forth to Jimmy’s mother while she was working at the farm stand, so his father wouldn’t have to find out they were communicating. Over the course of the week, the Commander has managed to smuggle away a pair of dress pants, shirt and jacket, tie, and even socks and shoes for Jimmy, wrapped up thoughtfully from Martha.

 

* * *

 

 

On Friday afternoon, the day of the dance, a boy ran up to the pair walking home and put a small wrapped box into the Commander’s hands, before wordlessly speeding back off. “Uh, thanks, Nacho!?” the Commander yelled after him. “I think…” he said, inspecting it before discreetly reading the note attached to the package. Without another word, he zipped it up into his backpack and continued on down the sidewalk. Perplexed, Jimmy followed.

“Who was that from?” he asked. “That was Nacho, Jimmy…remember? We’ve known him since middle school, pay attention.” Peeved, he snapped back, “No, who sent that box? Pretty sure Nacho isn’t sending you gifts… Unless he is, and then we’d have to have a talk…” Barking out a genuine laugh, the Commander cajoled, “Why, you jealous?” Jimmy said nothing out loud, but his involuntary blush said it all.

The Commander wasn’t terribly shocked about Jimmy’s continued low self esteem, but he was happy to try and quash those fleeting insecurities with a sudden passionate kiss in the middle of the sidewalk. Pulling away, he made sure Jimmy was looking at him before remind him firmly. “I’ve told you, you’re stuck with me, dude. For as long as you’ll put up with me. We’re gonna go to the dance tonight and have a perfect time no matter what, okay? I love you s—”

Now it was Jimmy’s turn to shock the Commander when he cut off his speech by grabbing him by the hips and pulling him in for a deeper kiss. The Commander quickly recovered, fervently reciprocating and snaking his arms around Jimmy’s back. Jimmy didn’t often initiate this sort of stuff, so the Commander took this blessing and ran with it, so to speak.

Things heated rapidly—hands roamed, tongues clashed for dominance, teeth clacked awkwardly together in an attempt to get as close as possible. They nearly forgot where they were until a loud blaring horn from a passing car blasted them back to reality. Giggling embarrassedly, Jimmy pulled away, breathless. He panted a hushed, “love you too,” still gripping the Commander tightly.

“Uhh…we should hurry, or we’ll be late. I hope you figured out what I’m wearing tonight, otherwise we’re going nowhere.” The Commander laughed, “Aww, I was hoping you could show up naked…I’m sure no one would mind, I know I wouldn’t…” He harmlessly pawed at the front of Jimmy’s shirt, who flushed even redder. “Commander!” he reprimanded. “You’d better have something better planned than that!” tugging his shirt back shyly. “Aww, you’re no fun, Jimbo!” he said, sticking out his tongue. “You’ll see what I got when we get home.” They continued to head to their destination; there was only a few hours left until Bones picked them all up.

 

* * *

 

 

Upon arriving, the Commander shooed Jimmy into the shower first, while he hurried to retrieve their clothes for tonight, which Monty has generously ironed for them. Somehow. Commander didn’t even know they owned an iron. Anyways. Both his and Jimmy’s suits were hanging up in his closet, neat and pressed. Commander took care to lay them out on the bed, and then sat down at his desk to reread the note that he received earlier. It was from Jimmy’s mom.

 

_Commander—_

_Thank you so much for all that you’re doing for James, it means so much to me that you have taken such good care of him. It helps me sleep at night knowing that he is safe and most of all, happy. This plan you’ve concocted is brilliant; I hope everything arrived safe and sound. Here is one last gift for the two of you; they are matching apple flower corsages. I pray you take plenty of photos, so I can see how handsome you both look! I’m so proud of you two, please know that. I hope to see you boys soon—I love you both! Have fun and be safe!_

_Love, Martha_

 

The Commander smiled, he couldn’t let her down. He twirled in his desk chair, waiting for Jimmy to finish showering. Tonight was going to be great; a big goofy smile found its way onto his face and stuck there. He heard the squeak of the faucet being turned off and a few minutes later, Jimmy reappeared in the Commander’s doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist. He seemed shocked when the Commander gestured grandiosely towards the clothes laid out on the bed.

“…These are my clothes? How did you get these? Please tell me you didn’t get Ricky or someone to break into my house…” He clapped him on the still-wet bare shoulder, “Oh, ye of little faith! You wound me with your words! I’ve kinda sorta been sending messages to your mom at the stand and she hooked me up…like a secret agent mission, she was very cool about it.”

Jimmy turned to look at him. “You seriously did all that?” The Commander rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Of course, dude…I knew it was important to you, and your mom was totally down with the plan so…with our powers combined, we were an awesome force!” Jimmy was speechless. “Oh, and she has one more thing for you, so get dressed and ready while I hop in the shower and I’ll give it to you after!” Kissing him quickly, he bolted from the room in his usual frenetic fashion.

 

Jimmy was thoroughly impressed with the Commander’s plan…he never expected anything like this, wow. The Commander never failed to surprise him; it made every day an adventure, at least. It sometimes scared him how hard he was falling, he never felt like this before. From down the hall, he heard the Commander singing loudly along to the radio in the shower. Shuddering when he hit a particularly off-key note, he was brought back to reality. Shaking his head with a smile, he focused back on getting ready. He would have to figure out something really nice to do in return for the Commander later.

 

* * *

 

 

He was focused on tying his tie correctly when the Commander returned, quietly sneaking up on him and grabbing him round the middle from behind. Shrieking in surprise and whipping around, he reacted in self-defense and clocked the Commander right in the face.

The Commander reeled back in pain, gripping his face. Realizing his mistake immediately, Jimmy yelped, babbling apologies while grabbing at the Commander’s shoulders to assess the damage. “I suppose I deserved that one…yikes, Jimmy, you really pack a rocket-powered punch there…”

“Oh god, Commander! Are you alright?! Oh god, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to, oh shit, oh shit, I’m so sorry!” Pulling back his hand and seeing no blood to worry about, the Commander looked up at him and gave a weak smile. “M’fine, m’fine, don’t worry…so, how do I look?” Jimmy grasped at the Commander’s chin and turned his head toward the light, inspecting his face carefully. He winced. “Looks like you’ll have some black eye, Commander…” he pulled him close and squeezed tight. “I’m so sorry!!!” he wailed while stroking his still-wet hair. “I’ll be fine, babe, c’mon now…” he paused. “Only one problem though…” Jimmy pulled away, a quizzical look on his face.

 

“Err…my towel fell off.”

 

Jimmy’s ears turned bright red and he squeaked in surprise. He quickly turned away in embarrassment. “Aww, Jimbo…” the Commander cajoled, swiftly hopping into a pair of clean boxers. He came up behind him carefully and pressed himself up against Jimmy’s tense back. He put his chin on his shoulder and whispered in his ear. “Y’know, I’d feel a little better if you kissed it better…”

“Commander!” he screeched, his ears going even redder. 

“I meant my eye, silly…but I wouldn’t mind you kissing that too if you really wanted…” he replied cheekily and squirming against him a bit. Jimmy groused and begrudgingly turned his head slightly to kiss the side of the Commander’s face—his eye socket was turning a fabulous shade of purple.

“Better?”

“I guess…my poor bruised ego could use some attention though,” he said, half-jokingly. Jimmy huffed and wrestled himself out of his grip. “Get dressed. Meet me in the kitchen when you’re ready and I’ll put some ice on your black eye, okay?" 

“Okay…” he replied, sticking his tongue out at his retreating form. Hey, his boyfriend looked fantastic in a suit, you can’t blame a guy for trying. He quickly finished dressing, attempting to haphazardly tie his own tie, realized he didn’t know how and gave up. With a sigh he grabbed his shoes and headed towards the kitchen, where Jimmy was seated and reading quietly. He cleared his throat and posed in the doorway. “Well, does your date clean up well enough?”

Jimmy turned and smiled. His eyes trailed up and down his body, rolling his eyes slightly at Commander’s waggling eyebrows. “I suppose…” he started. The Commander donned a black dress shirt and pants with a bright blue jacket and tie, to complement Jimmy’s blue shirt with dark grey jacket and pants. He crossed the room and reached up, quickly tying the Commander’s tie properly for him. When he was done, he leaned down to give him a kiss. “Much better now, dummy.”

Looking down, he also noticed the shoes the Commander held—bright white hi-top sneakers, as opposed to Jimmy’s newly polished two-tone wing tipped oxfords. Rolling his eyes again, he placed another kiss on his cheek and steered him to sit at the kitchen table. “Here, relax while I put ice on your bruise…” He grabbed some ice cubes from the freezer and tossed them in a plastic sandwich bag, wrapping it all in a dishtowel. Gently applying it to the Commander’s eye, who hissed at the coldness and leaned back in his chair. Relaxing, he pushed the small box and note from his mother across the table to Jimmy. “S’from your mom…” he said quietly.

Jimmy smiled and opened the note. He wished she were here to see them off. Well, maybe not so much Commander’s black eye and sneakers, but he supposed it didn’t matter. He missed her terribly.

 

_My dearest James—_

_Let me start off by saying how proud I am of you! I hope that the clothes I sent off with the Commander are appropriate and I hope that you remember how to tie your ties (he told me he has no idea). You lucked out with a boy like the Commander, he is so incredibly thoughtful and I’m so pleased to know that he treats you well. I miss you so much, but to hear and know you are doing all right eases some of that pain. Just remember how much I love you and I hope to see you soon, darling. I hope you have fun tonight, I’ve sent along a gift for you two, I hope you enjoy!_

_Love, Mom_

Jimmy smiled wide, sniffling a little. He reached for the box and unwrapped it. Inside the box were two corsages. Apple blossoms. His mom must have made them herself. Without looking down, the Commander reached over with his free hand to squeeze Jimmy’s. Tonight was going to be bittersweet considering the circumstances it took to get here, but he hoped to convey wordlessly how grateful he was to be here.

Jimmy squeezed back. “How’s your eye?” he asked, before he focused too much on his sad feelings. “I think I’ll pull through. Might want to prescribe a rigorous regimen of kisses applied to the affected area though just to be safe…” Jimmy snorted. “Maybe I’ll ask Crash to administer them—he’s a better nurse than me,” he replied facetiously, still leaning over to kiss him anyways. They continued to sit at the table in relative silence, waiting for the rest of the group to arrive.

 

* * *

 

A flurry of car honks from around the corner indicated their (late) arrival. Jimmy and the Commander were already outside; Jimmy was exasperatingly finishing helping the Commander help him put on his own corsage.

The windows rolled down and the loud notes of their band’s own cheap demo tape assaulted their ears, along with Bones and Ricky hanging out of them, catcalling the two jokingly. Jimmy rolled his eyes in embarrassment, while the Commander whooped back, waving emphatically. Crash screamed at them to put their seatbelts back on until the van came to a full stop in front of the house. Ricky jumped out to let the two crawl into the back seat. Quera, Hera, and Vera were seated in the middle row, smiling that same toothy smile and waving. They seemed attached at the hip. Triplets, man. Creepy.

 

Once they were all seated and strapped in, Bones sped off towards the high school. After parking in the busy lot, they all piled out. Jimmy finally looked around at the rest of the guys. “…Are we all seriously wearing something blue?” Jimmy’s shirt. The Commander’s jacket. Crash wore light blue sneakers. Ricky’s pants were blue. And Bones had a streak dyed into his long hair that was neon blue. It counted, he supposed. Not realizing it earlier, the rest of the team high-fived enthusiastically.

 

Hera snickered. “You all look like some failed super hero team!”

 

Not sensing the sarcasm, the Commander cheered. “I know, right?! This is the raddest thing in the world!” He slung one arm around Jimmy’s shoulders. “Ya ready, guys and gals? Let’s get going!”


	5. scream and be free

The gym was bustling with activity, packed with chattering teens and chaperones and decorated with about a million streamers. There were tables against the wall covered with catered food and even a photo booth with silly props and masks in the corner. Crossing the floor carefully, they managed to commandeer their own table in a far corner and they all sat down, looking blankly back and forth at one another in awkward silence. What do people even do at dances like this anyways?

After quickly exhausting through their photo booth and food options, there was nothing left to do but to dance. The main set started off loud, exciting upbeat popular songs got most out on the floor easily. Most. Crash and Jimmy took a bit more convincing, but they were all eventually dragged out of their shells. Kicking and screaming kept at a minimum. But after a few songs, they were all having a good time out there.

Crash and Bones seemed intimidated by their respective dates’ forwardness but continued to chill out to the bubbly music. Ricky and Quera were really into it, almost in their own world, spinning farther and farther away from the group. Jimmy was nervous, his moves were stiff and robotic but he seemed to genuinely enjoy himself while the dance floor was busy. The Commander was obviously going for the gold with moves that were off the wall, getting way into the groove of it and not caring about the stares he was getting.

 

Eventually, however, the tempo slowed and the mood softened, which seemed to thin out the crowd. It scared Crash and Bones away from the dance floor entirely, so they macho-ly marched over the macho punch bowl for something macho to drink. “Bones hates this record anyways,” was Crash’s reply. Annoyed when they never retuned, Hera and Vera huffed off to find other victims. Err, dance partners.

Ricky and Quera continued on as if nothing had occurred—Quera actually looked more relaxed without her sisters around. They swayed closer and closer, looking as comfortable as anything. Jimmy got nervous and tensed up, not sure if he wanted to flee with the rest or not. “Do you want to take a break? I think we should uh, go get some punch or something?” he asked, eyes darting to the punch bowl and relative safety from scrutiny and potential embarrassment.

The Commander grabbed him gently by the hands and pulled him closer. “C’mon Jimmy, stay with me…!” Jimmy chewed his lip nervously. “Just one song?”

Meeting his eyes and seeing the Commander’s pleading puppy dog expression forced him to acquiesce with a slight nod. “Just one, okay.” The resulting grin was well worth it but he yelped in surprise as he wrapped his arms tightly around him, pulling him close. Jimmy’s hands had nowhere to go but rest on the small of the Commander’s back. He blushed deeply as he tensed, mind going a mile a minute. The Commander wormed his way closer, nuzzling at his neck. He said with a whisper, “Don’t worry, babe, nobody’s looking…they’re all too preoccupied counting steps and making sure they don’t step on each others’ toes.” There were a few furtive glances in their direction, but nobody said a thing. Jimmy tensed up again. “Should I be worrying about those things too?” He could feel a smile pressed up against his neck. “Nah…you’re doing just fine, darlin’…” Jimmy relaxed a bit, getting more comfortable with the pace.

Just as he was starting to feel more confident that he wasn’t screwing everything up, the song ended and another started up. He was actually pretty bummed so he silently decided to keep on going, wrapping his arms a little bit tighter around the Commander. There was no complaint from the other party, whose head was resting comfortably in the crook of Jimmy’s neck. _Bless these cozy height differences_. He kissed his neck. “You doin’ okay, buddy? You wanna take a break?” “M’fine…a few more songs couldn’t hurt, I suppose…as long as you’re okay?” “More than okay,” was his sleepy reply. So, they kept dancing.

 

The swaying continued like that for a long time, Jimmy still a tad reluctant to let go. He was actually enjoying myself, getting lost in the music and the steady beat of the Commander’s heart against his own, not worrying about anything else in that moment. Whenever a familiar song played, the Commander quietly sung along in his ear. As a result, Jimmy’s ears turned bright red as he was serenaded with the cheesiest love songs this DJ could offer. Admittedly though, as the notes of “Unchained Melody” were crooned to him, his stomach did flip-flops and his face split in a dumbfounded grin.

The song ended and Jimmy smiled wide. In a moment of spontaneity, he grabbed the Commander by the chin and kissed him. The Commander was surprised for half a beat and then took his cue, grasping at his jacket and deepening the kiss, to the cheers of some of the crowd around them. Jimmy’s eyes snapped open and he jumped back as someone thumped him on the back. The Commander stumbled forward, losing his balance as Jimmy jumped backwards. Jimmy caught him by the shoulders and turned him around, both facing the front of the gym, where they were announcing homecoming court winners…

 

* * *

 

 

…Which were awarded to none of them.

 

Crash was nominated as one of the court because of his place on the football team but when they announced his name, he wasn’t there. The team would find out later that both Crash and Bones left the dance an hour ago, not shortly after they fled for the safety of the punch bowl as the slow songs began. (As it were, the two of them were outside, sitting on the roof of Bones’ mom’s van in the parking lot, talking about their feelings. And if you must know, they kissed for a bit too afterwards.)

They remaining bats and their dates retreated to their table after the announcements, settling down for some drinks and some cool down time while the court did their usual spotlight dances. They were all having an amazing night, Ricky and Quera’s braces shining in the lighting and Jimmy positively beaming. The Commander had excused himself to grab them all something to drink. He returned after a number of minutes, kissing Jimmy on the neck and placing the cups on the table. “Sorry about the wait, homies, the drink line was ridiculous!”

 

The spotlight dance wound down and they opened up the floor to the rest of the crowd. The DJ announced that she was open for audience requests and had queued up the first one she just received. Jimmy’s stomach flipped, quickly piecing together what had transpired. He shot a look at the Commander that screamed _you didn’t dare_. The Commander just waggled his eyebrows. _Please don’t let this be something embarrassing…_

“This song is an old school one, requested by…” she squinted at the horrible handwriting on the paper. “someone who’s name is illegible, sorry. He gave me five bucks to download this song on iTunes for this. And it goes out to…” Another squint as she held the paper close to her face. “…a robot he holds very dear? Am I reading that right? Okay, whatever, this is “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. Oh gosh. So, shout, shout, let it all out.” She hit play while The Commander innocently looked over at Jimmy and abruptly pulled him out onto the floor. Cheesy piano notes plinked over the loudspeakers as the song began.

In the middle of the dance floor, The Commander grabbed Jimmy tight around the waist, who tentatively rested his hands on his shoulders. The verse started up and _oh god he was singing to him_. Like, full-on straight serenade, as opposed to breathlessly whispering them like earlier. As corny as it was, Jimmy couldn’t, for the life of him, look away, as much as he wanted to bury his head far away from the other dancing couples staring.

But, seeing the Commander get so into it once the chorus hit warmed his heart and his shy smile turned into a full on laugh as they turned slowly to the beat. Jimmy pulled him closer during the guitar solo, making sure he knew how much he appreciated the stunt, as embarrassing as it was. The outro was punctuated with off-key “ooooh”s so Jimmy cut them short by pulling him in for a kiss. He figured with a shrug that if people didn’t know they were together before the dance, they sure did now. It couldn’t hurt.

Nearby couples who witnessed the serenade firsthand applauded and cheered, while the Commander actually blushed and took a dramatic bow. The Commander grabbed Jimmy’s hand and whispered, “I suppose I’ve embarrassed you enough if you wanna go sit back down…” The next song, some other cheesy ballad was queued up. But Jimmy stood his ground and grabbed the Commander in for another kiss. “I think I can tough it out if you’d like to keep dancing with me,” he said with a smirk.

Commander smiled wide and pulled him back into slow dance position. “Have I told…you lately…that I love yoooou?” he crooned jokingly. “You might have mentioned it,” was the sarcastic reply.

 

The last hour of the dance continued in this fashion, with the pair turning in time with the music slowly, just talking casually about anything. The last song ended and the two were essentially half asleep on each other, just swaying. The Commander’s head was comfortably rested in the crook of Jimmy’s neck, while his chin was tucked on the top of his head.

 

* * *

 

 

Eventually the last dance finished and the lights in the gym gradually came up. Jimmy was glowing as everyone slowly shuffled into the parking lot, with his arm slung around the Commander. The grins didn’t last for long. When they got outside, both Crash and Bones were gone, along with the van.

Bones didn’t pick up his cell when Jimmy called, which sent him into panic mode. As he frantically dialed Crash, he received a text message reply from Bones:

 

2013/10/06 12:17AM sry got distracted!!!

2013/10/06 12:17AM Well, are you coming back to get us?

2013/10/06 12:19AM sry we r indisposed atmmkfk

2013/10/06 12:20AM As long as you are both alright?

2013/10/06 12:21AM yeh everythings fine see u guys l8rrrrrr

 

Huffing out a sigh, he dropped his phone back into his pocket and shrugged quizzically. Commander was reading over his shoulder. “Well team, I guess we’re hoofin’ it! Do you want us to walk with you guys?” he asked, gesturing to Ricky and Quera (Ricky lived closer to the Commander’s house, but he knew Quera lived on the other side of town in a bad neighborhood). “Nah, it’s fine, Commander! I’ll take Quera home!” wrapping his jacket around her shivering shoulders. “Is that cool with you, Quera?” he queried, making sure she was comfortable with that plan. She nodded enthusiastically with a shy smile.

“Alright then!” Commander declared. “Let us know when you guys get home okay and have a good night!” They parted ways there, Jimmy and Commander cutting across the soccer fields and into the park. It was late enough where no one was out and about, so they decided to hang out on the playground a bit, shoving each other playfully in the cool night air.

 

* * *

 

 

They sat a while on the swing set, holding hands and just talking about nothing in particular. Total mushfest, but neither seemed to mind. The Commander’s phone ringing broke their moment as she fished it out of his pocket and answered without looking, assuming it was Monty, wondering where they’d gone. “Hellooooooo?” A pause, and the Commander’s eyes widened a bit, sitting up straight. “Oh! Hi, Mrs. Goodman!  You’re calling late, how are you?”

“I’m great, thanks! Listen, thank you so much for the flowers, they were totally awesome!”

“Y-y-yeah, we had a super time, I think!”

“…I mean, at least I did!”

“…yeah, I hope he did too!”

“Yeah, we just got out, we’re headed home now!”

“…you can ask him yourself if you wanna talk to him, he’s right here!”

“No problem, anytime!”

“Have a good night, Mrs. G! Here’s Jimmy!"

Jimmy took the phone from him and meandered away to speak to his mother in private. He weaved throughout the playground structure, speaking animatedly, his hands waving as he told her stories about his evening. Hopefully, they were good ones…but judging by his grin, they were.

 

Commander continued to sit on the swings, giving him time alone with his mother. He swung idly with a big smile on his face. Seeing him excitedly recount his evening really warmed his heart—he was legitimately worried earlier about Jimmy having a good time tonight.

 

Jimmy stayed on the phone a long time; eventually settling down on a far bench on the other side of the play structure. When he hung up, he looked over to see tears glistening on his cheeks, making his face appear silver by the dim moonlight, but he decided to give him some space. They’d been attached at the hip all week; maybe Jimmy wanted some alone time. He trusted that he’d come back over when he was ready.

 

* * *

 

And he did, about five minutes later. He trudged over with a neutral expression and handed the Commander’s phone back with a quiet thanks. Walking behind the Commander on the swing, he began gently pushing him. “Everything alright, Jimbo?” “M’fine, just thinking…I wanna thank you for everything you’ve done this week, Commander…it really means a lot and you really outdo yourself every time. I’m sure it hasn’t been terribly easy to deal with all of my issues…” Commander skidded to a stop, sneakers digging into the dirt.

 

After a brief struggle, he managed to turn himself around in the swing to face him. “Jimbo. If there’s anything _I’ve_ learned here it’s that you’re soooo ridiculously worth it, it’s not even funny. Don’t keep putting yourself down, buddy…I’m serious.” He grabbed him around the middle and pressed his face into his stomach. “I’m glad you’re here and you’re never a burden to me. It scares me how I feel sometimes…I see you and it’s like a punch to the gut.”

“So, I make you want to throw up?” he replied reflexively, joking. This heavy talk took a toll on him and he tried to stave it off.

Commander nuzzled deeper at his abdomen, letting out a low groan of embarrassment. “Oh, no no no! Don’t be upset!” Jimmy exclaimed, realizing his mistake. He took his hands off of the Commander’s shoulders and ran them through his hair soothingly. “I’m sorry for joking when you were serious…I just…no one’s ever said anything like that before to me, it’s a lot to take in, yeah?”

 

An unintelligible mumble came from his torso. He leaned his head back gently to make Commander look him in the eyes. “Hey, listen…I’m just as scared okay? I’ve never felt this way before…sometimes it feels like my heart is gonna explode out of my chest when I think about it too much. 

“So uhhh yeah…I guess I feel the same way…” he said quietly before leaning down to kiss him gently. Galvanized by his words, the Commander grabbed him and pulled him back down for a deeper kiss. He forgot he was still on the swing.

Due to the balance shift, the two of them tumbled over onto the ground with a loud _oomph_ ; the Commander fell flat on his back into the dirt with Jimmy landing straight on top of him, both boys’ legs tangled in the swing. Quickly confirmed they were both alive, the Commander shrugged and pulled Jimmy in to continue their kiss.

Squirming against one another, their kiss deepened and became more passionate in their need to get closer to one another. After a bit, they broke apart, breathing heavy. Jimmy smiled shyly. “Wanna head home, Commander?” Commader smirked, cocking one eyebrow questioningly. “Not yet,” was his husky reply, before he pulled Jimmy down again.

He sought out the crook of Jimmy’s neck with such ferocity that Jimmy let out a completely involuntary moan, squirming even more. And as quickly as he started, the Commander pulled away with a sly grin. “Okay, now we can leave! I’ve been waiting to do that all night…” he admitted, gently lifting Jimmy off of him and pulling himself to his feet before hauling a dazed Jimmy up. He made sure to brush the dirt off of Jimmy’s suit before shoving at him playfully and sprinting off. “Race you home, nerd!” he yelled behind him. Laughing, Jimmy took off after him.


	6. tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene is gratuitous smut, sorry. Tread carefully. It's not necessary to the plot and can be skipped over to the next chapter if you'd like.

They arrived back home in record time, with Jimmy letting the Commander win the footrace back to his porch. The lights were off in the house but on in the lab, meaning the Professor wasn’t around. Upon entering, they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves, Jimmy cornering the Commander in the breezeway to kiss him, needy. The Commander began to shrug off his jacket, warmed up from all of the excitement and jog home. He hung it over the banister and did the same with Jimmy’s. Once he was done, he pulled Jimmy closer by the hips, slotting them together in such a way that it sent a jolt of electricity through them. They both groaned into each other’s mouths and all but dragged themselves up through to the Commander’s room.

Attached at the face, they collapsed onto the bed in a heap, laughing all the way. Commander pulled away slightly, petting Jimmy’s hair away from his eyes. “Do you really wanna do this now? Are you alright with it?” Jimmy smiled earnestly and nodded enthusiastically. “I’m ready if you’re ready,” was the reply.

 

The frenzy to remove each other’s clothing as quickly as possible was intense, both fumbling with the buttons on their dress shirts. Once those were shucked off, Commander let his hands roam admiringly all over Jimmy’s torso, his mouth following suit in appreciation.

Jimmy writhed below him, reveling in the ministrations as he traveled lower. Commander grabbed him by the hips and pulled him to the edge of the bed so his lower half was dangling over. He situated himself between his legs.

Nuzzling at the bulge in Jimmy’s dress pants, he fumbled with undoing his belt and pants zipper. After shoving them down to his ankles and pulling them completely off, he returned to palm at Jimmy’s growing erection with one hand and attempting to remove his underwear with the other. When met with resistance, he grumbled, so Jimmy lent him a hand, deftly pulling off the offending article and kicking it to the side.

The Commander smiled up at him and in a gesture of thanks and winked, then wrapped his hand around the base of his cock and began to stroke slowly, earning a long moan as a reward. Jimmy’s hands curled up in the sheets as the Commander coaxed him to his full length with a couple of strokes.

In the meantime, Commander used his other hand to help himself out of his own pants with limited difficulty. Jimmy cried out as the Commander brought his tongue out to lick the length of his cock. Pleased with the response, he suddenly wrapped his lips around the head. Commander shoved his hand into his boxers to tug at his own cock as he continued to lick and suck, tucking his free arm under Jimmy’s leg and wrapping around to pull him closer, Jimmy’s low moans encouraging.

 

At a loss for what to do with his own hands, Jimmy wrapped them around the back of the Commander’s head, running his fingers through his hair and sitting up, curling his body over him. When Jimmy could barely take it anymore, he pulled the Commander back up and on top of him on the bed, kissing him so deep their teeth knocked together.

“How do you wanna do this?” panted Jimmy, hands roaming low around the Commander’s waist and breathing heavy. Face flushing even deeper, the Commander replied shyly. “Would you mind uh…going in me?” Jimmy blinked in slight surprise. He figured it would be the other way around, not that he minded. He thought. 

“I mean, only if you’re okay with that…I figure you could set the pace and stop if you need to…” he explained, suddenly nervous. Jimmy smiled and kissed him on the nose. “Yeah, I’d like that…”

Commander let out a really manly gleeful giggle before climbing over Jimmy to fish in his nightstand for the lube and box of condoms he bought and shoved in there a few days ago. Doing a quick calculation, Jimmy grabbed some extra pillows to put underneath the Commander for an optimal angle.

 

Returning and getting comfortable on the pillows, the Commander snapped open the cap and squeezed some out onto his fingers, reaching down to prep himself. Jimmy looked on inquisitively. “…Would you mind if I gave it a try?”

“Would I? Go to town, my friend,” he replied, leaning back on the pillow as Jimmy squirted some lube onto his own fingers and crawled up close between the Commander’s legs. With a scientific curiosity, he poked and prodded at the hole, cataloguing the delightful sounds Commander made above him. He slipped one finger inside, going in easy as the Commander moaned. Pleased with the reaction, he continued, stretching him and making sure everything was nice and coated.

Commander whined loudly and began to thrash above him, wrapping his legs around Jimmy’s shoulders as he experimented. “Jiiiiiimmyyyyyyyy,” was the needy groan that came from the Commander. “I think we’re good, let’s get on with iiiiiiiiit…”

Satisfied with the results, Jimmy sat back up to roll the condom around his cock. “Are you ready, Commander?” he asked, being met with an enthusiastic nod. “Are you sure?” Hands that were gripping the sheets now grabbed at Jimmy’s hips, pulling him closer. “Yes, positive okay! Now just start off slow…” he cajoled.

Jimmy lined up, gently pressing himself up against his hole. The Commander breathed heavily and Jimmy craned his neck to kiss him before beginning to push inside. “Let me know if it’s too much and I’ll stop, okay? I love you…” he whispered into his mouth. Commander gritted his teeth, the further stretching a little more painful than he expected, but he soldiered on as Jimmy slowly pushed deeper, pain quickly giving way to pleasure.

They both let out a moan into each other’s mouths as Jimmy hilted, his length completely inside the Commander. A deep, inexplicable warmth filled them both and suddenly there wasn’t a better place either of them wanted to be. Looking down at the Commander, he continued to be cautious. “Everything alright, Commander? Are you okay, did you want me to stop?”

He cracked open one eye before grabbing Jimmy by the neck and capturing his mouth for a passionate kiss. “If you stop now, I might never forgive you.” Jimmy smiled as he slowly pulled out, giving the Commander some time to recover and wrap his legs around his back. He grabbed onto his hip with one hand and gripped the Commander’s hand with the other, interlocking their fingers.

He thrust back inside and out again, working into a steady, rhythmic pace. The Commander moaned and reached down to tug at his own needy cock, knowing he wouldn’t last long at this rate. _Curse these oversensitive overloaded teenage hormones_. Everything was just so… _there_ at the moment. 

Jimmy seemed to be in the same boat, eyes squeezed shut in exertion, sweat glistening on his straining muscle and beginning to drip down the side of his face. He leaned closer, moving his hands bracket the sides of the Commander’s head, grunting in his ear as his thrusts became more erratic.

The heated moans were too much for the Commander as he grabbed at Jimmy’s hips, needing to pull him in as close as possible. With a low moan, it was all over for him. He twisted his body as he grabbed at Jimmy’s shoulders. “Oh god, Jimbo, I’m gonna—” was his warning as he came between them, sticky cum coating both of their stomachs and he clung to Jimmy, shuddering.

Jimmy wasn’t far behind—he gave one final thrust, sinking his sweat-soaked head into the crook of the Commander’s neck as he came soon after with a cry. Shakily, he pulled out slowly and tried to catch his breath before gingerly removing the condom. He tied it off and tossed it into the trash bin before wrapping his arms around the Commander and sighing, placing lazy kisses and licks to his neck.

 

Chests heaving, they quietly relished the moment for a long while as they came back down into the moment. Jimmy’s arms trembled slightly as he clung onto the Commander, who was nuzzling at his neck sleepily. Commander reached up to kiss Jimmy softly and whispered, “No worries, babe, you did great, that was great, I love you so much…” like a mantra, knowing full well that Jimmy was most likely flipping out internally, rubbing at his back soothingly. “Mmm…I love you too, Commander…” was his dazed reply. 

They stayed like that for a few beats before Jimmy blinked his way back to attentiveness, scrunching his nose at the mess between him. The Commander was half asleep, so he made the executive decision to roll over and make an attempt at cleaning themselves up. He leaned over the edge of the bed to grab his boxers to wipe most of the mess off of himself and tossed the pair into the hamper. 

At a loss as far as what to wear down the hall, he shrugged to himself and slid into the Commander’s discarded pair. He turned to kiss the sleepy Commander on the nose before sneaking down the hall to the bathroom. He carefully toweled himself off with a damp cloth and grabbed one for the Commander.

 

When he returned, Commander was curled up under the covers, nearly asleep. Knocking on the doorframe to get his attention, the Commander jumped up in alarm. He stretched like a cat and yawned as Jimmy crossed the room with a smile. Blearily noticing what Jimmy was wearing, he asked, “…r’those mine?" 

Jimmy pulled back the covers to gently clean the Commander up. “Don’t make a mess of the covers, Commander…we gotta sleep on those, yanno.” Blinking, he replied dazedly. “You’re wearing my boxers.” Cocking an eyebrow, Jimmy replied, “Yes, an astute obversation…” Commander pulled Jimmy down into the bed with a yelp, holding him close.

“That’s, like, the hottest thing in the world.” Jimmy shot him a look. “You were asleep a minute ago.” The Commander laughed and nuzzled his nose. “I guess you’re right…but you should wear my clothes more often, because dang…” Bracing himself up on an elbow, Jimmy ran his hands through the Commander’s hair as his eyelids began to droop again. Admiring his lax face, Jimmy barked out a laugh out of nowhere.

Commander snorted and cracked one eye open. “Oh yeah, what’s so funny about my face?” Smiling, Jimmy replied, “Nothing…just grateful that the lights were dimmed at the dance so no one could see your black eye and jump to the wrong conclusion…how is it by the way?” Closing his eyes again and turning his face away, he said in a serious tone, “Long overdue for some medicine, I think…” 

Jimmy panicked, having forgotten the joke from way earlier. “Why, does it hurt?! Oh gosh I’m so sorry for not asking sooner, lemme see it!” he exclaimed worriedly, turning the Commander’s head to examine it. “M’fine, Jimbo!” he blinked up at him and shot him a look. “Just kiss me, okay?” The joke slowly coming back to them, Jimmy realized and complied with the request, rolling over and pulling the Commander on top of him without missing a beat.

When they broke apart, Commander nestled his head into the crook of Jimmy’s neck, getting comfortable. Jimmy reached over to flip off the lamp and squeezed his arms around the Commander protectively, littering the top of his head with kisses. “G’night, Commander…I love you,” he said quietly, while a muffled “l’ve you too,” came rumbling through his chest and straight into his heart, where it settled permanently. The proverbial other shoe was bound to drop sometime soon, but not a single worry crossed either boys’ minds that night.


	7. cut right through me

And drop that other shoe did, that Monday evening.

Monty and the Commander were seated at the kitchen table doing their respective work (Monty taking care of hated paperwork and Commander glaring similarly at his own homework). Jimmy was at the stove, prepping dinner for them. They had requested pancakes for supper (again), as usual. You’d think they’d get sick of them nearly every day since Jimmy had shown up, but whatever floated their boats (apparently their boats floated on an ocean of maple syrup).

He had just flipped the last pancake onto a serving plate when his phone rang. It was his mother, so he politely excused himself and gestured for them to start without him as he headed out. Commander glanced after the closed front door, slightly concerned; Martha hadn’t called since right after the dance three days ago.

 

The two set upon their delicious meal…and also finished said meal while Jimmy was still outside. The Professor cleared off the table (leaving a small stack of pancakes for Jimmy) and set upon washing the dishes. After fifteen minutes, Commander started to worry. “M’gonna go check on him…” he murmured, pushing away from the table to look out the front window.

 

Jimmy was pacing on the lawn, still on the phone. Judging by the slump of his shoulders, it couldn’t be anything good. As much as he wanted to rush outside, he held back and returned to the kitchen, where the Professor was wrapping up the dishes. “What’s going on?” he asked, sensing his adopted son fretting in the doorway.

Commander sighed. “He’s still on the phone. But he looks pretty upset…” was the concerned and sullen reply. “When he does come back inside, just let him know that the invitation to stay is always on the table, especially if that table stays covered in food that isn’t microwavable. The boy can cook _and_ clean; I’ve never seen this house as bright as it has been in the past week or so! So he’s welcome to stay for as long as he likes…”

Commander marched right up to him from behind, wrapping his arms around the Professor, squeezing him in a tight appreciative hug. “I love you, Monty…you’re the best, you know?” The Professor was mildly startled—his son was rarely the hugging type—but chuckled approvingly. “I try,” was the dry reply.

A swell of pride filled the Professor’s chest. He always felt bad, considering the boy’s rocky foundation, and his own shortcomings in raising him. It wasn’t easy. But seeing him now, what he was becoming, he couldn’t help but be proud for being even slightly involved in the life of this dynamo. He knew he would go far and bring so much joy into the lives of everyone he crossed paths with; his sense of pure, determined compassion would see to that.

Snapping out of his dazed introspection, he turned to hug his son and kiss the top of his head appreciatively, before shooing him out of the kitchen with a snap of his orange dish glove. He wrapped up washing the last dish and headed back to the lab, knowing his son would do the right thing.

 

* * *

 

 

Commander sat on the entryway steps, nervously jigging his right leg. After a few minutes, the front door creaked open slowly and the Commander leapt to his feet. Jimmy entered carefully, obviously quite upset, but he silently stormed right past him and up the stairs. He headed towards the bathroom, the Commander tagging at his heels. “Jimmy?” he called after him. He jumped back in shock as the door was closed in his face, however. Cocking his head, he knocked. “Jimbo…you okay, babe?” 

Jimmy sat on the floor on the other side trying to compose himself. The Commander could hear him panicking through the door—hitched breaths and hiccups trying not to become wracking sobs, but no verbal response otherwise. Commander tried to keep calm. Sometimes Jimmy clammed up and needed alone time, but he’d never forcefully locked himself away like this. “Jimmy…can you answer me, please? I just wanna know you’re alright…”

A hiccup, then a hoarse reply, “Just give me five minutes, okay?!” louder than the Commander expected from him. He was surprised. He usually became quiet, and rarely raised his voice like that… He acquiesced to the request. “Alright…but I’ll be sitting right here, okay?”

“I’m fine, Commander! Leave me alone, I don’t need to be babied!” His voice cracked, and the Commander’s heart broke to hear Jimmy’s upset tone directed at him. He understood it wasn’t really _at_ him, but it still hurt. However, he continued to sit there with his back against the door, knees pulled to his chest. He could hear Jimmy’s breath hitching more and more as he continued to panic. “Just keep breathing, babe…deep breaths, okay? M’right here…”

 

After five long minutes, the Commander knocked again to check up on him, his breathing sounding like it had begun to steady. “Can I come in, babe?” he asked. The silence stretched. “Jimmy, I need you to talk to me, okay? Please unlock the door…I don’t wanna break it open, but I will.” His flipping stomach betrayed the calm demeanor he was trying to convey.

He heard the click of the lock and he sighed in total relief, letting out the breath he was holding. He placed his forehead on the cool door for a moment, thankful before standing. Slowly opening the door, he slunk in, shutting it gently behind him.

 

Jimmy was seated in the empty tub, arms curled around his knees and face buried. He looked so small. The Commander sat tentatively on the edge of the tub, not wanting to crowd him, but close enough to make sure that he wasn’t hurt. Jimmy glanced up at him slightly. He was in a horrible state—ruddy face, red-rimmed eyes and dark circles underneath—looking absolutely broken. Truth be told, the Commander wanted nothing more than to scoop the boy up into his arms and carry him off to bed and kiss him until that expression never returned to his face. It didn’t belong there, he knew that much. But he knew better than to get in the face of someone in the middle of a panic attack.

 

They sat in awkward silence for a long time. The Commander skirted his hand along the edge of the tub, closer to Jimmy. It felt like dealing with a skittish horse. Eventually, Jimmy reached out to grab his hand and squeezed. He returned the gesture, rubbing his thumb soothingly along his. The Commander waited patiently for him to explain himself.

 

After a while, Jimmy mumbled, “He wants me to go back home.” The Commander’s jaw dropped. “What?!” A little louder: “My dad. He wants me to go back home, work on the farm.” And then a little quieter: “Drop out of school, too.”

 

The Commander was floored. He screeched, “Jimmy, that’s crazy!” The boy looked away. “You heard me…” The Commander leaped up and climbed into the tub next to Jimmy. “He can’t do that to you! You gotta keep going to school—you’re so close to graduating early…with me n’ Crash! You just applied to all of those colleges…” He was incredulous.

“What do you want me to do?” Jimmy asked despondently. “He’s my father. Do I just not go back? Ignore him? I can’t just leave my mom there alone, with no explanation…” The Commander slumped, stumped. He knew Jimmy was right.

“I know…but it’s not right! You’re not a farmer! You’re meant to do so much more with your life, Jimmy…it’s not right to just throw that all away…” Jimmy just curled in further onto himself. The Commander scooted closer to him and nudged his shoulder gently. “Hey. Hey. We’ll figure something out, buddy…”

“Like what? He’s coming to pick me up in an hour!” he replied sullenly. The Commander’s heart sank. “I already tried to say no, believe me. He said he would call the cops to arrest the Professor on kidnapping charges if I didn’t go with him…”

“What?! He’s the one that kicked you out with nowhere to go and now he pulls this crud? That’s not fair…” Jimmy was resigned. “I know it’s not, but we don’t really have much of a choice here…”

 

He turned to lean his head against the Commander. “M’sorry I yelled before…” he apologized before planting a kiss on his shoulder. Commander took his initiation of contact as permission to wrap his arm around him. He squeezed his arm lightly before replying, “It’s okay, Jimbo, I get you were upset. I was just worried about you, man…” Jimmy made a concerned noise. “I gotta be honest, I’ve gotten used to you being around all the time now…Even the Professor says you can stay like, forever. I don’t want you to leave, man…”

 

Commander let out a small noise of frustration. Tears began to form in Jimmy’s eyes again. “…I dunno if I’m gonna see you or the guys after this…if I’m not allowed to go to school anymore, and I know I’m never gonna be able to leave the farm,” he wailed, tears turned to full sobs as he curled in on himself again. Commander leapt into action, grabbing the upset boy and hoisting him into his lap, cradling him against his chest. “No, no, no…don’t say that, Jimmy…we’ll work something out, I _promise_.” Commander’s shirt was quickly soaking through with tears and Jimmy gripped the front of it, finally breaking down. “I’ll think of something…I’m not letting you go that easily.”

 

They sat there for a while, Commander letting Jimmy work out his emotions, rubbing his back soothingly. The gears in the Commander’s head were whirring. When the sobs finally subsided, Commander hefted him into his arms, carrying him in his arms out of the tub, out of the bathroom and gently laid him onto the couch in the living room.

 

* * *

 

Kneeling down and smoothing his hair, he whispered, “M’gonna get you some aspirin and water, okay? You hang out here and I’ll put your stuff together. I’ll be right back.” He kissed his forehead comfortingly and stepped into the kitchen. He dampened a cloth as well as grabbing the aspirin and glass of water before returning. 

He sat Jimmy up and made him take the two pills with the water before patting his back and laying him back down, covering him in a blanket. He dabbed at his eyes with the wet cloth before gently placing it across his eyes, hoping to help with the burn of all of that crying.

 

Commander bent down to kiss him one more time before going into the bedroom to pack up Jimmy’s meager belongings. He kept his stuff generally neat in his duffels but he gathered the various few things that were scattered around the room. It was so hard for the Commander to do; his stomach was in knots. But he knew Jimmy was not in any state to take care of it.

He considered the corkboard over the desk that was now covered in new photos of the two of them from their week together, including the ones from the dance a few days ago. Commander had just picked them up at school today and hung them up proudly the minute they both got home from school. But their time to come down was now.

He unpinned a bunch of the photos and shoved them into one of Jimmy’s textbooks, a lump forming in the back of his throat. Oh god, he couldn’t do this. He can’t just let Jimmy go back to his horrible father, who treated him like farm equipment. He had to figure out something. He hefted both bags onto his shoulders and went down the hallway to drop them at the front door. Returning to Jimmy on the couch, he simply crawled up on top of him and clung to him. He needed to be as close as possible right now. Jimmy wordlessly brought his arms around him as well, both attempting to comfort the other, forced to accept their fate for the time being.


	8. already home

The remaining time flew by, not that there was enough time in the world to begin with. A rumbling came from down the street at 8pm on the dot, followed by a loud honk—Jimmy’s father’s farm truck. Jimmy jumped at the sound, heart pounding.

Commander leapt off the couch as well. They both looked at each other with sad expressions before trudging towards the door, hand-in-hand, Commander picking up Jimmy’s bags with the other. Opening the door, they saw his dad parked on the street, but he remained inside, the truck left running. He looked impatient—red in the face upon seeing the Commander on the front porch as well.

But the cab door opened and Martha burst out the other side, running towards the two boys. Jimmy released the Commander’s hand and stepped towards his mother, wrapping her up in a huge hug. “James! I’ve missed you so much!” She sobbed onto his shoulder. “I’ve missed you too, mother…” was the sullen response. 

She turned to scoop the Commander up into a hug as well. She whispered to him, “I can never repay you for how good you’ve been to my boy, you know…” Commander replied sadly, “It was nothing…I told you I’d do back flips for him—I meant it.” They broke apart, but Martha took Commander by the hands and looked into his eyes. She whispered back, “I know. We’ll figure something out, darling.”

 

Ralph honked the horn. Commander insisted on carrying Jimmy’s bags to the truck while Martha climbed back into the cab. When he turned around to lift them into the truck bed, Jimmy was suddenly right there, so close. The taller boy swept him up into a tight bone-crushing hug. Jimmy considered his next course of action, deciding it was worth it to lean down to kiss the Commander right on the mouth in front of his parents. Even the Commander was shocked; the bags slipped right out of his hands as he kissed him back.

 

Wasn’t really the best move, as Ralph flew from the driver’s seat, face now purple. He stormed right up to the two of them, shoving the Commander away with a strong palm and grabbed Jimmy by the arm, pulling him towards the truck. “We’re leaving NOW, James! We are going home and far away from all of this nonsense!” He addressed the Commander, “Now stay away from my son, you won’t be bothering him any longer!”

The Commander reeled from the overreaction. “Hey!” Jimmy wriggled in his father’s grip. “Don’t touch him!” he yelled. His father twisted his arm. “You don’t get to backtalk me! _I’m_ his father!” Jimmy cried out, more out of surprise than actual pain. “You’re hurting him!” the Commander shouted as he jumped forward.

“I make the calls here! Now stand back!” Ralph pulled Jimmy aside to shove at the Commander again, this time with a hand planted firmly on his chest, pushing him backwards. Caught off guard, Commander stumbled on the sidewalk’s curb and fell to the ground, knees scraping across asphalt.

 

Martha leapt from the cab of the truck, having enough of this. “Ralph, what is wrong with you?!” she screeched, while Jimmy finally was able to twist himself out of his father’s grip and rushed to check on the Commander, still on the ground, the wind knocked out of him. Martha knelt down by him as well, pulling off the bandanna covering her hair and dabbing at his bloody knees, murmuring soothing words. Jimmy had one hand on the Commander’s chest and supporting him to sit up with the other.

Martha passed the kerchief to Jimmy and turned to stand, facing her husband, who looked like he wanted to fall into a hole, running his hands through his hair and pacing. “This was completely unacceptable behavior, Ralph! Putting your hands on either boy? That is not how we do things around here, not ever!” He looked almost sheepish. “Can we discuss this like human beings, please?” she pleaded.

“I was only trying to bring our son home, safe from these…harmful outside influences! Isn’t that what you wanted?” he asked. “All you’ve been talking about the last two weeks is how you missed him!” trying to pin the blame on anyone but himself.

“Of course I want James to be home and safe from harm. More than anything…but I also want him to be happy, is that too hard to ask?” she replied, clearly upset with him. “If he is happy, I could want nothing else! Even if it means he is somewhere else. He has to forge his own path…”

She rifled through her bag to pull out the candid photos the Commander sent her over the past two weeks to show her husband. “And if that isn’t happiness, I don’t know what is.” Mr. Goodman took the photos from her, scrutinizing them. James did seem happy in them…happier than he’d seen him since he was a child. He deflated visibly, realizing he was losing this argument.

 

He looked over to James, who was helping the Commander back onto his feet, the other boy looking a little shaken, but grinning widely when James whispered something to him, who returned the smile in kind as he pet his hair. They weren’t any different than any other couple, he realized. He felt almost dizzy; his whole perspective was turning on its axis, questioning most of what he’d learned in his life about this stuff.

 

Martha watched him scrutinizing the couple and rubbed his arm soothingly. “I see those gears turning in your head. Do the right thing, Ralph Goodman.” Ralph cleared his throat and addressed his son. “James.” The boy looked up with a stricken expression, bracing himself for the worst as the Commander leant on him a little.

 

Ralph looked down at the ground as he spoke to his son earnestly. “Firstly, I want to apologize to you. Both of you, actually. I’m sorry for anything that I’ve said or done that has upset you…I was scared for you, James. I want nothing more than to see you successful, and I see now that your path lies differently than my own. I see that there’s nothing wrong with you, and that it wasn’t you that needed changing—it was my own attitude. I was wrong, you obviously love one another the same way everyone else does, like I love your mother and that must be a good thing. 

“It’s going to take some getting used to…but you are a special boy, James and whatever you set your mind to is the right thing and you’re going to get there. That being said, I’m…willing to let you live your own life. As long as you’re doing well in school, I can allow you to stay, if that is what you choose. We keep receiving your mail, including your report cards—I’m expecting nothing less than straight A’s. Anything less and you come straight home.”

He continued. “I may not like what you’re doing, but I have to respect someone that knows what he wants and strives to obtain it. I can’t force you down a path you don’t want. Also, I’m going to insist on one weekly meal together, for your mother’s sake. Do we have a deal?” he asked, holding his hand out to shake on it.

 

But instead, Jimmy rushed forward to grab his father in a tight appreciative hug. “You got it, pops! I’m sorry it took this long to see eye to eye, but the fact that you were willing to look with a different perspective means so much to me. To us.” Ralph pulled back from the hug to consider James’ face. “I hope you can forgive me. Both of you." 

“You’re my dad, of course I forgive you!” was Jimmy’s honest reply. Commander limped forward carefully and stuck out his hand to shake Mr. Goodman’s hand amicably. “Yeah, no worries, Mr. Goodman, I think I’ll pull through…”

“I’m glad. Martha will get in touch with your father, Mr…uhh…Commander?”

  
“Corndog.”

“Mr. Corndog.”

“Professor, he’s a scientist. You can call him Monty.”

“Professor Corndog, I see…” He squinted, thinking. “Huh. I always wondered why you’d actually prefer being called Commander. And now I see why. Yikes, that’s rough…” he admitted with a small laugh.

Commander returned the laugh, “I know what you mean. To be honest, my dad totally loves having Jimmy around, for real! He puts him to good use around the house—it’s never been cleaner! He’s the only one who knows where the vacuum is, and the proper uses for a mop. Plus, he cooks the most delicious food, gosh…I guess the Professor and I have you to thank for that one, Mrs. G!”

Martha smiled. “Oh yeah? I suppose I could always send over one of my cookbooks, considering the only recipe I’ve ever taught Jimmy are those applesauce pancakes out of a box…” Both Jimmy and the Commander grinned sheepishly at one another. “Also, Commander…I’m looking for someone to help run the stand with me in the afternoons. If you ever want to make some extra money, I could use the extra hand! It’ll be a good way to keep in touch…” she implored.

 

Commander snapped to attention. “I could even spare two hands, for you, Mrs. G! I’d love to, and I’m not just saying that. _Someone’s_ birthday is coming up and I could use some extra cash, yanno!” Jimmy blushed and snorted. “Yeah, you wasted all of your money on illegal fireworks and bribing the marching band direction two weeks ago…” Commander laughed. “Yeah, but the look on your face was worth every penny! Plus, it worked like a charm, didn’t it?” he replied, nudging him in the ribs with his elbow.

Jimmy rubbed his arm affectionately and blushed even harder. “I woulda said yes anyways, ya dummy…” The Commander smiled fondly at him, and risked Ralph’s raised brow to lean in to peck his cheek. “Aww, Jimbo…” But to Mr. Goodman’s credit, he managed to screw his face into a slight smile for their sake. He would get there, eventually. “Alright, alright, let’s get going Martha! It’s gonna get dark soon…”

Martha winked and stage whispered at the boys. “Your father has been watching those dramatic home improvement shows that make him cry, don’t be fooled…” They all laughed as Ralph sheepishly waved them off and slunk into the truck.

Martha turned to give the boys one more hug, kissing them each on the cheek.   
  
“Now, be good, boys…I’ll be in touch very soon with Monty about your arrangements and I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? I love you both and I know you made the right decision, one from your heart. I know I did. I’m so proud of you. And one day I’ll even teach you my tips for arguing and getting your way with someone you love,” she said with a wink. “I’ll see you both soon!” she waved as she stepped back in the truck.

 

Commander grabbed at Jimmy’s hand as the truck drove on. When it was out of sight, Jimmy flopped down onto the curb in relief. “That...went slightly better than expected…” he admitted, running his fingers through his hair as the Commander shakily sat beside him. He suddenly draped his arms over his knees and let out a sob. Confused, Jimmy jumped and whirled to face him. “Commander! Are you alright?!”

Did Ralph hurt him worse than he let on earlier? He had knelt in front of him, examining him for further injuries, when Commander enveloped Jimmy in a fierce hug, pulling his head to his chest as he continued to cry. “M’just…so happy…y-y-you’re still here, oh my god!” he wailed through his heaving sobs. He wrapped himself tighter around him, not eager to let him go anytime soon. He almost lost him once today; it just wasn’t going to happen again. Ever. Jimmy snaked his arms around his back, patting him comfortingly as he continued to cry. Jimmy began to sniffle as well, today’s emotions catching up, and utterly touched that the Commander was so thoroughly overjoyed.

 

After a few moments, he began to calm down; the only sound on the street was their heavy breaths. Commander broke the silence by blowing an impromptu raspberry on Jimmy’s unsuspecting neck, the latter erupting into shrill giggling. Commander thanked his lucky stars for discovering that sensitive spot; it was a homerun this weekend. While Jimmy was trying to squirm away from the assault, Commander grabbed him under the arms and hoisted him up so they were nose to nose. Gosh, he was so cute when he smiled; it wasn’t even fair. He kissed him soundly while pulling him backwards with him to lie in the grass. “What are we doing, Commander?” he asked. “Taking a break,” he breathed out, closing his eyes and nuzzling him sleepily in reply.

“Oh,” he said smartly and rested his head back under the Commander’s chin. Thankfully it was a quiet neighborhood, no screaming kids or dog walkers to interrupt them at this time of night. He tapped a beat on the Commander’s chest for a few minutes, but eventually the disappearance of the sun behind the trees got the best of him. He pushed himself up off the ground and grabbed his two bags off the curb, dropping them unceremoniously on the Commander’s chest with a slight oomph. Grinning slyly when the Commander opened his mouth to object, he deftly scooped both him and the baggage into his strong arms bridal style and carried him off. He attempted to look smarmy as the Commander batted his eyelashes and planted a huge dramatic kiss on the side of Jimmy’s face with a loud smack. They crossed the threshold into the house, all smiles.


	9. for your love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, a little more smut in this ending, read with caution. I hope you enjoy regardless!

Commander dumped the bags next to the front door and proceeded to wrap his arms around Jimmy’s neck. Jimmy’s stomach took the opportunity to speak for him, growling loudly. He flushed while the Commander laughed loudly. He kissed him before hopping out of his grip. 

“…I suppose I should eat, now that it’s quiet…I don’t venture to hope there’s any pancakes left, hm?” Commander made a thoughtful gesture. “I do think there’s a few left that the Professor put aside! Let me grab those for you, go relax, okay!” In the kitchen, Commander set upon heating up the leftover pancakes while Jimmy sat at the table, resting his head in his arms, thinking.

The microwave beeped and the Commander presented the meal with a flourish. “My hero,” was the facetious reply. Jimmy dug into the meal with gusto, considering he hadn’t eaten since lunch, but wound up feeding the Commander about half of it off of his fork anyways. Whenever he looked over at his plate, the Commander was drooling a little. He obliged regardless, knowing he wouldn’t be able to resist that sad, pathetic face. Or the whining that would ensue.

 

He followed him from the table as Jimmy got up to wash his plate, unable to keep his hands to himself. Turning in his arms, Jimmy gave the Commander a considering look. “So, what do you want to do now?” the Commander asked. “Well, I might have a few ideas…” The Commander arched his brow, curious and at full attention. Jimmy whispered, “Well, first we can get comfortable on the couch and then…”

He leaned in closer, “…we can finish our homework; we have class in the morning.” The Commander snorted and shoved at him. “That doesn’t sound like fun at all! We gotta work on your sexy talk, robot…” Jimmy shrugged. “You chose me, Commander, sorry you’re stuck with this crummy model now…”

The Commander’s expression softened into a fond grin. “You promise?” Jimmy cocked his head. He elaborated, “That I’m stuck with you?” Jimmy gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “I suppose I can deal…but being mushy won’t get you out of finishing your assignments. March to it, let’s go!” Commander groaned, collecting his backpack and notebooks sullenly. “Maybe if you’re good, we can have ice cream and watch some TV after…”

 

They worked in companionable silence for the next hour on their respective assignments, back to back on the couch in the living room. Since he was working on his earlier, Commander actually finished first (plus, Jimmy’s classes were considerably more difficult, like rocket science and quantum physics or some nerdy crud), so he left to put on his pajamas (which consisted of him just shucking off his school clothes and leaving his boxers on) and grabbed a carton of ice cream. He set into it happily, occasionally scooping a few spoonfuls into Jimmy’s mouth as he worked.

 

Flipping through his textbooks on his last assignment, a handful of photos tumbled out. _Oh_. “How did those get there? That’s so weird…” Commander said, trying to play it off as an accident. Jimmy carefully picked them up and examined them before realizing. “…you put these in my book when you were packing them for me earlier…”

Commander sputtered and blushed. “…I wanted you to have them. I didn’t want you to forget about everything, yanno?” he mumbled, a little embarrassed. Jimmy reached over to tap at the Commander’s nose with his index finger. “You’re such a dummy, you know that?” he asked jokingly before pulling him into a tight, appreciative hug. Pulling away, he tapped his nose again before kissing it softly. “I love you, mushface,” declared Jimmy, causing the Commander to break out in his brightest grin today.

 

Closing his textbook with a thump, he announced, “You know what? This assignment isn’t due until Friday and I’m tired, let’s go to bed.” The Commander let out a gasp of fake shock. “James Goodman, how dare you! Not doing an assignment a week ahead of time to hand in for revision? Is the world ending? Are you sick?” He slapped the back of his hand on Jimmy’s forehead to check his temperature. Jimmy swatted it away and stooped to pack up his books. “What can I say? I’m a rebel, you’re a bad influence.”

The Commander raised his brow. “Does that mean you’ll start wearing leather?” he asked, not really totally kidding. Jimmy rolled his eyes as he started to get up, but he was pulled back down. “I’m just joking, you’ll always be my nerd alert,” he said, planting a wet, sloppy kiss on the side of his face. “But seriously, let’s get you a jacket. Or pants, or _something_ , because, dang.” He daydreamed as Jimmy wrestled out of his grip and headed towards the bedroom. “I dunno about you, but I’m going to bed, Commander, good niiiiight!” He padded down the hall as the Commander jumped up to follow, trailing after his boyfriend like an eager puppy.

 

Jimmy quickly stripped down to his boxers and unpacked his toothbrush for the last time in a while, hopefully. He dragged the Commander down the hall to make sure he also brushed his teeth before bed. They completed their nighttime routines, Jimmy returning his toothbrush to the cabinet with a sigh of finality. The Commander kissed him with a mouth full of mouthwash and gurgled, “Welcome back home, Jimbo.” Jimmy retorted with, “Technically, I never actually left the property, Commander…” Spitting in the sink and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he replied softly, “Yeah well…you were almost gone forever, okay? It’s final now!” Jimmy threw his arm around him and gazed at their reflection in the mirror, smiling fondly. “Yeah, it is.” He kissed him gently, and then remembered with a start. 

“Your knees, Commander! Let me check those out first before we go to bed, okay? Asphalt is not very clean and cuts like that can get infected easily! Have a seat on the tub,” he said, grabbing the first aid kit. “I can’t believe I let this go untreated for this long already, I completely forgot…” he mumbled to himself as he crouched between the Commander’s legs and bandaged him up. “I suppose I’ll live, eh?” Commander asked when he was finished. Jimmy was inspecting his handiwork, “You feel okay?” Commander waggled his eyebrows and glanced down at Jimmy still crouched. “Well, while you’re down there, there is one thing you could kiss better…”

 

“You’re such a horn dog, Commander!” chastised Jimmy, slapping his leg playfully. “I know, but I’m your horn dog, right?” he asked as he attempted to stand back up. But, Jimmy reached out to pull him back down, grabbing his hips. The Commander looked at him with surprise. “Whoa there, babe…”

 

Jimmy cast him a sly grin, “I didn’t say that I wouldn’t do that…unless you don’t want me to…” Commander was pleased with this turn of events and swiftly replied, “Oooh, you’re dastardly! But, I think I’m _so_ on board with that…” as he quickly tugged down his boxers, wincing a little at the coldness of his bare skin on the tub. But the proximity of the warmth of Jimmy’s breath on his exposed skin soon changed that. The conflicting temperatures actually felt nice.

 

He cried out involuntarily as Jimmy took his entire soft length in his mouth, prompting a glare cast upwards and a tiny pinch on the thigh to get him to be quiet. “Shit, sorry—warn a guy next time…” the Commander apologized with a whisper.

He grit his teeth and let out small whines at the back of his throat as Jimmy continued to coax his cock to full hardness, licking and sucking with unusual gusto, humming as he went along. _Damn, he keeps getting better and better every time_ , he thought distantly (they got an unusual amount of ‘practicing’ done over the weekend since the dance).

But thinking was over as Jimmy reached up with one hand to cup his balls, fondling them gently. The Commander nearly howled in pleasure, shoving one fist in his mouth to silence himself. His toes curled and he grabbed at Jimmy’s curly hair with his other hand. “Oh, _oh_ _fuck_ , Jimmy, that feels so great…” he whispered. Jimmy grabbed at the base of the Commander’s cock with his other hand, eager to get him off quickly with all of the noise he was making while trying not to make noise.

 

This was a good call considering the contented noise the Commander made, but not so good as it also caused him to jerk backwards, slipping off the edge and falling backwards into the tub. Commander’s hand was wrapped in Jimmy’s hair, which brought Jimmy unwillingly halfway along for the ride. Jimmy’s eyes widened in shock as he realized what happened, hissing out, “Are you all right, Commander?!” climbing in after him to make sure he wasn’t hurt. The Commander laughed heartily and tugged Jimmy down with him at the bottom of the tub as he sat up with his back to the wall.

 

“M’fine, babe, but if you stop now, I won’t be for much longer…” Jimmy shook his head incredulously. “You’re crazy!” he exclaimed, but crawled down the Commander’s body so he was yet again faced with the Commander’s still-hard cock. He continued his ministrations and soon enough the Commander was huffing heavily in his ear, stroking his hair.

“I’m a-a-almost there, Jimbo, _fuck_ , don’t stop!” Jimmy swirled his tongue around the head of his cock and gave the length one more suck before the Commander hissed a warning, “I’m gonna cum, oh god oh god oh god, Jiiiiiimmmmyyyyyyyy!”

The Commander grabbed Jimmy’s head to pull his cock out but Jimmy held fast as he came with a low whine into his mouth. He attempted to swallow but sputtered and gagged at the amount of it in his throat. He turned to spit it down the drain as the Commander huffed and sagged over, completely spent. “C’mere,” the Commander whispered, pulling Jimmy up to him and kissing him deeply, not entirely hating the taste of himself in his mouth. He could get to enjoy this, hrm. He smiled into Jimmy’s mouth, whispering “I love you,” over and over until his brain caught back up. “It’s your turn, now,” he told him once he caught his breath.

 

Jimmy objected a little, “I’m fine, Commander, don’t worry about it, it’s been a long day…” “No, I feel bad, I owe you _something_ …” He turned him around in his grip, so the Commander’s chest was flush against Jimmy’s back. “You really sucked my brains out back there, so you get the discount version, but I promise to give you the full Commander XXXperience Guarantee next time, okay?” He He wrapped one arm around Jimmy’s chest and the other crept down his stomach slowly, reaching over the soft fabric of Jimmy’s boxers to rub his half-hard cock through them. He gently continued as Jimmy’s breathing quickened slightly, slowly becoming harder at the ministrations.

Commander breathed into Jimmy’s ear and began to lick and nibble at it, earning some whines and low moans. He loved Jimmy’s ears, how red they got whenever he was embarrassed and definitely loving how sensitive they were. Jimmy’s cock was getting hard enough by now so he pushed down his boxers enough to expose it to the air. This earned him another moan, louder this time. The Commander smiled to himself, reaching with his other hand to play with Jimmy’s nipples slightly, and began to whisper filthy things into his ear. “You like that, huh babe? You like when I touch you like this? You love my hand on your dick, admit it…C’mon babe, tell me how much you love it…” Jimmy could do little more than whine incoherently as the Commander jacked him off with full force, throwing his head backwards.

 

Commander turned to bite and suck at Jimmy’s offered neck, basking in the noises coming from his boyfriend. “C-c-commander, oh god, I can’t—” The Commander let go to lick at his ear again and whispered, “Shh, you don’t have to, just let it go, baby…” Commander reached up with other hand to pull Jimmy’s mouth closer to his and captured it in a deep kiss. He continued to stroke his cock, Jimmy writhing wildly in his grip but not breaking the kiss. He whined deeply in the back of his throat and leaned forward as he came with a jolt. He spurted all over the Commander’s hand and the bottom of the tub.

 

Jimmy panted heavily as the Commander pulled him back against his chest. “That was amazing, Jimmy baby. We should meet like this more often,” purred the Commander, nuzzling affectionately at his neck and reaching up to lick some of Jimmy’s cum off of his hand. He hummed in appreciation at the taste as he shifted to get up out of the tub. He pulled Jimmy up with his clean hand and turned on the faucet to wash their mess down the drain. He put his hand under the stream as Jimmy rearranged himself, pulling up his boxer shorts and helping the Commander back into his.

 

The Commander tugged Jimmy to his chest and kissed at his neck sleepily. “Can we go to bed _now_ , babe? Gosh, I’m so tired and you keep distracting me from my beauty rest!” Jimmy gave him an incredulous stare. “I can’t believe you, sometimes, Commander. But I suppose I can allow it,” he said plainly as he led him by the hand to the Commander’s room. No, _their_ room. Jimmy liked the sound of that. They were all smiles as they fell into bed. Commander wrapped them both up in a warm comforter and pulled Jimmy’s head to rest onto his bare chest once they were settled. Commander planted one last kiss to the top of Jimmy’s curls, and they were quick to fall asleep. In _their_ bed.


End file.
